Love of a Demon
by Aodhgan
Summary: Gaara is a Sand Village ninja, persecuted and hated for the fact that he carries the Shukaku demon. He has never known love, nor does he think he ever will. Enter Suki Nara, a ninja from the Leaf Village that has her own cursed past. Is she the one that can teach Gaara to love someone else? Is he the one that can see past what has happened to her and love her for who she is?
1. Chapter 1

Name: Suki Nara

Age: 14 (Later on she'll be 18)

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Personality: Like her twin brother Shikamaru, she's extremely smart and somewhat lazy; loves looking at the moon and stars; loves to argue with her brother; fun loving and friendly, but get on her bad side and you'll have to run in the other direction; also as strong as Sakura and Tsunade when angry…Her IQ is also above 200

Best Friends: Temari, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, Lee, and Naruto

Falls for: Gaara

Name: Shikamaru Nara

Age: 14 (Later he'll be 18 like Suki)

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Personality: Smart; lazy; loves watching the clouds and napping; loves playing shoji. Finds just about every woman troublesome; very laidback; thinks rationally unless Suki is hurt, then he just blindly charges in to protect his sister. IQ above 200.

Family: Twin sister Suki

Name: Gaara of the Sand

Age: 15 (Later on he's 19)

Hair: Red

Eyes: I want to say turquoise…

Personality: loner; mysterious; thinks that no one would ever want to be his friend or even care about him for that matter; surprisingly protects people he cares about; doesn't understand the feeling love; can't understand why his sand protects Suki the way it protects him.

Falls for: Suki

Family: Temari (now 17, becomes 21 later on) Kankuro (now 16, becomes 20 later on)

_The Shadow shall fall for he who can not feel love; yet he, in turn, will love her as well._

I sat there in class next to my lazy twin brother who was sawing wood face down on his desk. I rolled my eyes and looked back at the black board Iruka Sensei had written on. "Can anyone tell me what this statement means," he asked. "Naruto?" The blond was drawing on a piece of paper in front of him and not really paying any attention. "Gee," Naruto said as he looked up. "I dunno Iruka Sensei; seems like an odd saying to me."

"It's not a saying you idiot," Iruka yelled. "I just finished telling everyone it was a prophecy!"

"That's been handed down in the Nara clan for generations," I muttered. I poked snoozing ugly next to me and tried to get him to wake up. I picked up my pencil and began to poke at him even harder. Choji let out a giggle as Shikamaru's arms started to flail about. "Well Suki," Iruka said, turning his attention towards me. "Seeing as you have nothing better to do than to annoy your brother, why don't you tell us what this statement means?"

"The Shadow is obviously referring to a woman that falls in love with someone that can't love her back, but he does," I said. I really hated this prophecy thing because everyone thought it had to do with me; seeing as I can control shadows like the rest of my clan. "It could be that she's a ninja that falls for someone she's supposed to kill or something like that."

"Thank you," Iruka said. "Does anyone else have anything to add?"

"Hey," Naruto piped in. "Maybe it means that Suki will fall in love with Sasuke!" The thought of that made me hit my head on my desk. This was one of the reasons why I hated this prophecy thing. Everyone assumed it had to do with Sasuke because he was so distant and barely let anyone near him since his whole clan was wiped out. It's not that I had anything against Sasuke; I just didn't like him that way at all; unlike most of the girls. In fact, I had a crush on Hinata's cousin, Neji; although he tended to ignore me. "You better be joking Naruto," Sakura screamed. "Everyone knows Sasuke is mine!"

"Here we go again," I mumbled. Most of the girls in my class started to fight and argue over who Sasuke would marry. All the guys just sighed and shook their heads. "Jeez," Kiba said as he turned to look at me. "They sure make a fuss over nothing…"

"This is why I hate girls," I said.

"How can you hate yourself," Kiba asked.

"It's not that she hates herself Kiba," Shikamaru said. A book had been thrown and hit him in the head causing him to wake up. "She just doesn't like the way they fight and fuss over guys."

"I think he was talking to me pineapple head," I muttered. Shikamaru glared at me; he hated it when I called him that. "You're so troublesome Suki," he said.

"So you don't like Sasuke that way do you," Kiba said with a smirk. I smiled back. Kiba and I flirted at times. I thought he was a cool guy, but the real person I had a crush on was Hinata's older cousin, Neji. "Nope," I said. "I like someone else."

"Could it be me," Kiba asked with that smirk growing wider.

"You're in a tie with Choji," I said. Hearing what I had said, Choji almost choked on the potato chips he was eating. Shikamaru just sighed and patted his best friend on the back. "She's kidding man," he said calmly to Choji.

"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not," I said. Choji's face turned bright red at this and he started to cough. Kiba laughed at the look on Choji's face as Iruka was trying to get the class back in order. "Suki," Shikamaru said. "Don't lead him on…"

"What do you mean," I asked, leaning over so I could look at Choji. "He is cute, and that's what makes him my teddy bear!"

"Teddy bear," Choji asked, his blush deepening by the second.

"Yeah," I said. "That's why I like to snuggle with you whenever we have a sleepover. It's better than snuggling up to pineapple head here."

"You're such a smartass, Suki," Shikamaru said.

"Better than having a pineapple hairdo," I said. Shikamaru and I smiled at each other, knowing that sooner or later one of us would challenge the other to a game of shoji once we got home. Whenever we got into fights, we always challenged each other saying that the one who won the game also won the fight. Problem was, we always ended in a tie.

Shikamaru's POV

I was happy that I got Suki to shut up. She was so oblivious to the fact that Choji had the biggest crush on her…I didn't really mind it when he told me either. In my eye's, Choji would be perfect for Suki. Other than myself; she was his only other friend. Suki never cared that he was a chubby guy, or that he usually had crumbs all over him. She'd never laughed at him for who he was either.

"I wouldn't mind if Suki fell for me," Sasuke said, interrupting my thoughts. "She and Hinata are the only ones that don't obsess over me."

"How can you say that Sasuke," Ino cried. "I love you more than that girl ever would!"

"No you don't Ino pig, I love him more than you do," Sakura screamed.

"Hn," Sasuke said. I watched as he turned his head and smirked at Suki; the arrogant bastard. No way in hell would I let him date my twin sister. Thankfully, she just rolled her eyes at him. "Besides, I think maybe she already has fallen for me," he muttered. Suki's eyes widened. "In your dreams Uchiha," she shouted. "I'd rather kiss Kiba than fall for you!" Kiba smiled at that. I groaned and looked at Choji. He seemed a little down in the dumps after what she said. "Hey big guy," I whispered. "It's not like she said your name. I don't think she meant that as a compliment anyway." Choji gave me a small smile in return. "Maybe Shikamaru," he said. "But I still kinda hoped she'd say my name."

"Would you really," Kiba said to her with his stupid grin. Suki smiled at him. "If I ever fell for Sasuke, remind me to, kay?" Kiba's grin widened and Choji sighed. "Can we please get back to the subject at hand," Iruka shouted. Everyone stopped talking and looked back at Iruka. "Now," he said. "I want all of you to come down here one at a time to perform a transformation jutsu for me. I don't care who you change into, just do a good job. First is Shino." I watched as Iruka called everyone down to complete the jutsu. I was finally called down and I transformed into Suki. "That's all we need," Iruka muttered. "Good job Nara. Suki, it's your turn." Suki came forward and smiled. "Well?"

Suki kept smiling and finally transformed into Iruka. "Well what," she said.

"Not bad," Iruka said with a sigh. "Naruto, you're next." Naruto came forward and tried his best to transform into the 3rd Hokage. "Naruto," Iruka yelled, shaking his finger at him. "What is that supposed to be?" I tried to hold back my laughter as Suki, still looking like Iruka, stood behind him and mimicked every move he made. She even mouthed his words. Everyone burst into fits of laughter as Iruka turned around. Suki had already gone back to the way she really looked and just smiled at him. "Go back to your seat Ms. Nara," Iruka said through clenched teeth. "Before I call your parents!"

Suki rushed back and sat next to me. "You're just the worst Suki," I whispered in her ear with a smile.

"Well, I learned from the best brother," she whispered back. She kissed my cheek and went back to paying attention.

Week's later…Suki's POV

I stretched out on the top bunk of our bed and looked outside at the moon. I just couldn't sleep. "Hey," Shikamaru whispered from below. "You awake Suki?"

"Yeah," I whispered back. "It's kinda hard to sleep when the Chunin exams are tomorrow."

"You have a point," Shikamaru said.

"It's not fair," Choji whispered from the floor. He was sleeping over tonight after I begged Dad and Mom. If Shikamaru had asked, they would have said no, so he sent me in to do his dirty work.

"What isn't," I asked, looking down from the top bunk at him.

"Shika and I would do so much better with you instead of Ino," Choji answered. "But they just had to team you up with Kiba, Shino, and Hinata."

"Yeah," I said. "It would be much cooler with you two, but I'm really great friends with Kiba and Hinata. Plus Shino's really been opening up to me and the rest of us."

"Plus I don't think Ino would be happy to work with Kiba and Shino," Shikamaru said. "She's not that big on dogs and she hates bugs." I smiled and almost laughed. It was true, Ino hated bugs, and she never really got along with Akamaru. To tell the truth I didn't like some bugs that much, but Shino's were really cool. "Besides," Choji added. "Ino just thinks I'm a good for nothing fatty…" Shikamaru groaned and I glared at Choji. I wanted to yell at him, but I knew our parents would come in and tell us to be quiet. "You're not a fatty," Shikamaru said.

"You're really smart Choji," I said. "Don't think you're good for nothing. You've got a lot of great qualities."

"Name one," Choji said.

"Not this again," Shika moaned. "Didn't she just say you were smart?"

"I'm not as smart as you two."

"You're a nice guy," I said.

"So are a lot of people."

"You always have a snack on you when I'm hungry, and you share it with me."

"You share your snacks with Suki," Shikamaru yelled.

"Shhh," Choji said. "So what if I do?"

"You've never even shared with me!"

"Alright you three," Dad grumbled as he entered our room. "You're mother won't shut up about how noisy it is up here and won't let me get any sleep. Keep it down so she won't kick me out of bed again."

"Sorry dad," Shika and I said.

"Sorry Mr. Nara," Choji said.

"I don't care how long you guys stay up, just don't make much noise got it?" And with that, Dad shut the door and left. "It's your fault Shika," I hissed. "If you didn't yell like that Mom wouldn't have heard us."

"Man, she's going to be a real drag in the morning," Shikamaru said.

"Because of you Pineapple head," I muttered, looking under my bunk at him. Shika glared at me and then looked worried. I realized one of my hands slipped and I was now falling to the ground. "Suki," Shikamaru yelled in a whisper. I was about to hit the floor when Choji dove forward and caught me. I looked at him with a smile. "Thanks Choji," I whispered to him.

"No problem," Choji mumbled. "Now, can you get off my back? It kinda hurts…"

"Sorry," I whispered, getting off of him and crawling to his sleeping bag. "What are you doing," he asked in a worried tone. I sat on his sleeping bag and looked back at him. "I can't sleep without my teddy bear," I said with a small smile. Choji sat up, blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well…" he said. I crawled back over to him and pulled him by the arm. "C'mon," I said. "It's not like we haven't slept together before."

"That sounds so wrong on many levels," Shikamaru muttered.

"Shut up," I said, getting up and slapping him on the head.

"Ow, what was that for," he said sitting up. "You're more troublesome than mom is, you know that?"

"Only 'cause mom doesn't hit you," I said in a harsh whisper.

"Guys please stop fighting," Choji said. "I don't mind if Suki sleeps next to me…" I smiled and did a little happy dance. I then lay down next to Choji, facing him. "Thanks," I whispered, putting my arm around him and kissing his cheek. "You're the best Choji." Choji blushed even more, and gave me a small peck on the lips. I was sort of surprised; I mean, Choji was really shy around girls and had never kissed me before. What was even more of a shock to me was that I kind of liked it. I had never thought of Choji that way, but he was a really nice guy and it was for sure Neji never even noticed me when I was at Hinata's house. In fact, he went out of his way to ignore me. Shika's sighing finally pulled me from my thoughts and back to Choji.

"Sorry," Choji said with a blush. "I didn't really mean…I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said. "I don't mind."

"Mind what," Shika said in a worried voice.

"Nothing," Choji said hurriedly as he rolled away from me. I was sort of disappointed. It wasn't 'nothing' to me. "Choji," I whispered. "Really it's okay. I like you."

"You do," he asked rolling over again to face me.

"Course I do," I said with a nod. Choji gave me a small smile. "Would you mind if I kiss you again?" Shikamaru was now standing up and staring at the two of us with wide eyes. "What," he mouthed. If he could have, he would have screamed it out to the world. Choji and I looked at him as I gave my twin an innocent grin. "Did you have a bad dream," I asked with a giggle.

"I know damn well I wasn't asleep," Shika said. "Choji…did you really?" I felt Choji's arm wrap around my waist and he nodded. "Man, you finally did something about it," Shika mumbled. "See? Was it really that hard to tell her you like her?"

"He did who with the what now," I said really fast. My eyes grew wide as Shika sighed. "I swear Suki; you can be just as dumb as Ino. Whatever, I'm going back to sleep."

"Night Pineapple head," I said.

"Night troublesome twin," Shikamaru answered with a yawn. I smiled and rolled my eyes, then turned around to face Choji again. "Goodnight, Suki," Choji mumbled. I leaned forward and kissed his sweet lips again. Choji kissed back for a while, then pulled away with a smile. "Night Teddy Bear," I whispered. I watched Choji fall asleep and I grew bored.

Taking his arm from around my waist, I got up and climbed up to the top bunk. I opened the small window that was next to it and crawled out. I then ran towards my favorite spot to look at the stars. It was the hotel roof, and I couldn't wait to get there. I loved looking at the stars and imagining all sorts of things. You could find anything you wanted in the stars and make up all kinds of stories…I was finally able to reach the roof of the hotel when I saw someone sitting there all alone. Creeping a bit closer, I took a good look at them. It was a boy, around my age, with red hair and turquoise eyes that gleamed in the moonlight. The Kanji for love was written on his forehead in red ink, and he had weird black eyeliner surrounding both of his eyes. He was just so mysterious…and for some reason, my heart wouldn't stop pounding as I looked at him. It wasn't pounding because I had run all the way to the hotel roof, but for a different reason I couldn't quite explain. "It's not polite to stare," the boy said in a deep voice. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry," I said backing up from my hiding spot. "I didn't mean to stare, it's just that well…no one else ever comes to this spot." I realized I was at the ledge of the roof top, but it was too late. I fell down towards the ground for the second time that night, only this time; I was definitely going to get hurt…until something cool wrapped around my body and lifted me back up. "Shino's insects," I whispered. "No, he's no where near here and this feels like…sand?"


	2. Chapter 2

Gaara's POV

I had decided to watch the stars and moon once Temari and Kankuro were asleep. I was enjoying myself until I felt someone staring at me. Using my third eye with my sand, I found a girl watching me from behind part of a chimney. I thought of using my sand coffin at first, but my siblings wouldn't want me to draw attention to us. "It's not polite to stare," I finally said. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry," she said, while backing away from her hiding spot. "I didn't mean to stare, it's just that well…no one else ever comes to this spot." She seemed afraid of me and kept backing up until there wasn't any roof left. I could care less if she fell; she was just staring at me, thinking what a monster I must be. Then again, I couldn't just let her fall now could I? In the middle of my debate, sand shot from my gourd and went towards her. "Why did it do that," I whispered. "It's only ever protected me…just who is she?" I watched as the sand brought her close to me and set her down. "Thank you," the girl said. "Sorry about staring at you like that. I come here almost every night so it was a surprise to see someone else here."

"Hm," was all I said to her. I tried to look back at the stars, but something about her made me keep staring. Her eyes were a golden brown, sort of like honey, and her midnight black hair glistened in the moonlight. "Oh, my name is Suki," the girl said looking at me with a smile. "Suki Nara. What's yours?"

"It doesn't matter," I said. It's not like she would care anyway. "I guess I'll have to call you Mr. Sandman then," she said. I glared at her for the nickname. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No," she answered with a smile. "It's just that I met you at night and you use sand with your jutsu's."

"So?"

"Haven't you ever heard of the Sandman? He sails around the night sky sprinkling magic sand in people's eyes to help them fall asleep and have good dreams."

"Where did you hear that sort of nonsense," I asked, looking at her like she was crazy. She looked away and smiled. "My dad used to tell it to my brother and me before we fell asleep when we were kids. I know it's a stupid story, but your sand made me think of it."

"How do you know that this isn't a nightmare," I asked, looking at the still present smile on her face.

"I would have hit the ground if this were a nightmare," she simply said. "Instead you used your sand to lift me back up to the roof. There for, it's a good dream." This girl…Suki…she was acting so differently around me. She didn't seem to shudder when I looked at her and she didn't go out of her way to avoid me. Why was she so different than the other people I knew? Maybe it's because she didn't know the real me. She thinks I'm a good dream on the outside, and yet I know that I'm a nightmare on the inside. "Gaara," I whispered, not knowing what I was saying.

"What?"

"My name is Gaara."

"That wasn't so hard was it Gaara," she said, that honest small smile still spread across her pretty face. "That's a nice name."

"Not really," I said.

"It's better than Suki," she joked. I couldn't help but smile. Suki seemed really nice and for some reason, I didn't feel so lonely with her around. It was like she accepted me. "It's also better than what she calls me," a new voice said. Suki and I turned to see an annoyed boy. "What are you doing here," Suki shouted.

"What am I doing here? It got cold in our room because you left the window open! Choji and I have been looking everywhere for you," the boy yelled back. "It's such a drag cause mom found out and she's yelling at dad to find you."

"Mom found out," Suki said. "Man, I'm as good as dead. Why did you tell her Shikamaru?"

"I didn't," Shikamaru said. "She came into our room to tuck you in and screamed once she saw you were gone. I was knocked out of bed and Choji nearly got trampled. She's still screaming at dad."

"Stupid Pineapple Head," Suki muttered. I tried to hold back a laugh. "Troublesome twin," Shikamaru said. "Let's go Suki." I watched as she got up and my sand acted on its own again, gently wrapping around her wrist. "Come on Suki," Shikamaru said in an annoyed tone. "Get going." Suki looked down at me and gave me a small smile. "Sorry Gaara, I have to go," she said. "I guess I'll see you around."

"If mom let's you live that long," Shikamaru muttered.

"Ignore my twin please," Suki said after hitting her brother over the head. "Thanks again for catching me." I nodded as she did the most unexpected thing. Suki wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her. Was she…hugging me? "Sorry to caused you all this trouble," Shikamaru said as he pulled his twin sister away from me. I just grunted. "Forget it," I mumbled as I watched them walk away. I highly doubted I would ever see that girl and boy again, yet…I still felt strange. I shrugged the feeling away and climbed back into the room my siblings and I were staying.

"Gaara," someone said. "Was that girl…really hugging you?"

"You saw her Temari," I asked without turning around and looking at my older sister.

"Usually your sand pushes people away…it even does that to me."

"Like you'd ever want to hug me," I said, turning so I could glare at her. "Everyone thinks I'm a monster, even you're afraid of me!" Temari looked at me with fear in her eyes, even though I was her youngest brother. I saw the way she was around Kankuro. She treated him like a real brother. They did things together like siblings do and even though they fought with one another; they still cared about one another. But with me…with me I was some sort of circus freak side show that she wanted nothing to do with. I was just a thing and not a person. To her, I wasn't a brother…I was just a monster. My glare at her intensified, while she just backed away and went back to her room.

I finally lay down on my bed and closed my eyes. The first thing I saw was the smiling face of that girl Suki. Just who was she anyway? Where had she come from? Was she some sort of leaf village spy? Damn it…what in the world caused her to affect me so? Why did my sand help her even though I never told it to? How come I couldn't get her out of my head? And why was my heart pounding like a drum?

The next day…Suki's POV

"This is so not good," I mumbled as I entered the room filled with other Genin ninja's. Kiba just smirked and Hinata took hold of my hand. "I-It's okay S-Suki," she said. "You'll be fine."

"Yeah right," I said. "I don't like crowded rooms Hinata."

"Come on Suki," Kiba said while putting an arm around me. "Look, there's Choji and Shikamaru, let's go see them." Hinata and I followed Kiba towards Shikamaru and the others. "Shika," I muttered. "I don't feel so good…"

"What a drag," Shikamaru said, while leaning against the wall. "You can take mom's harsh words last night and you're afraid of a crowded room." I glared at him for bringing up last night. Mom had reamed me one for going out my window in the middle of the night. She threatened to tell my Sensei that I wasn't going to go to the Chunin exams and that I would never be a ninja until Dad stepped in. He had somehow convinced Mom to let me go today and I got away with a small punishment. I just sighed and placed my head on Choji's shoulder. "You'll be fine Suki," he said. I smiled at him and watched his face turn beet red. "You don't need to be embarrassed Choji," I said.

"Especially not after last night," Shikamaru mumbled. Kiba's eyes widened and Hinata gasped. "What happened last night," Kiba shouted.

"Oh not much," I said with a blush as Choji looked away. "Just a little of this and a little of that."

"Then why is Choji as red as a tomato," Kiba asked.

"It's nothing," Choji said, his blush worsening. "Shikamaru was just joking."

"It doesn't look like nothing," Kiba said with a smirk. "Come on, tell us."

"It was nothing," I said. "Choji just…" Choji faced me and shook his head. He obviously didn't want anyone to know. I smiled understandingly and gave him a hug. "I want to know," Kiba growled as he folded his arms. Choji just held me in his arms and smiled. Something inside made me want to kiss him again…as if he read my thoughts, Choji leaned forward and planted a small sweet kiss on my lips. I smiled as his blush became known again and Kiba's mouth fell open. Hinata looked like she was about to faint while Ino, who just so happened to be standing by, looked shocked. "Dude," Kiba cried. "Way to go man! I never thought you had it in you!"

"You don't need to make a big deal about it," Choji whispered, rubbing the back of his head. Shikamaru and I sighed in unison, as Kiba continued to praise Choji for being so brave. I was starting to get a little bored, until I felt something wrap around my waist and pull me away from the group. I looked down at the stuff that was pulling me and smiled, now that I knew where I was going. "Hi Gaara," I said to the red head as his sand retreated back into his gourd. He looked at me and seemed a little surprised to see me standing there. "Suki," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you I guess," I said. "Chunin exams."

"Hm," Gaara responded.

"I'm glad you're here though," I said with a small blush. "It's good to see another friendly face amidst this crowd of people. I don't really like being in a crowded room…"

"It's not something I'm genuinely fond of either."

"Gaara, I need to…oh hi," a girl with blond hair said as she approached Gaara and me. She had a huge fan on her back, and her hair was in small pigtails. "Hello," I said to her as she gave me a wary smile.

"What do you want Temari," Gaara snapped.

"I was just wondering if you had seen Kankuro," the girl answered, turning her attention back to Gaara.

"No," Gaara said.

"Great…knowing him he's getting himself into trouble."

"Suki, where are you," I heard Shika call.

"Fabulous," I said with a sigh. "I have to go Gaara, I'll see you later."

"Hm," Gaara said.

"One more thing though…Um…I was wondering if you'd like to maybe get something to eat after the exams? I know a good place for ramen and I thought maybe you'd like to go," I said. I didn't really know why I was asking, but for some reason I wanted to get to know Gaara. I liked being around him even though he wasn't very talkative. I felt that I could tell him anything…"Paging the most beautiful girl in the room," Kiba shouted. "Suki Nara, please return to your friends before your brother has a serious conniption." I was so embarrassed at this point. Stupid Kiba had to go and shout that…why didn't he just use his damn nose to find me? Then again, the room was pretty crowded and that made it harder for him to sniff someone specific out.

"I have…" Gaara began.

"He'll go with you. When and where," the girl answered.

"Temari…" Gaara said angrily.

"I'll see you at Ichiraku Ramen, around seven," I said before rushing off to the others. I could tell Gaara was glaring at the girl named Temari as I walked off. She seemed like a nice person, and I wondered who this Kankuro person was she was looking for. "There you are," Shino said walking over to me. "Your brother is having a fit."

"So I gathered," I said in a low voice. "I don't think he's really happy about what Kiba said either."

"Of course he isn't. Kiba should have more manners than that," Shino said.

"Kiba," Shikamaru said as Shino and I neared the group. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Well you wanted to find her didn't you?"

"Yeah he did but did you have to say it like that," I said as I came closer.

"Suki," Shikamaru said. "Where in the world did you go?"

"I saw Gaara and wanted to say hello to him."

"You could have at least told me."

"Sorry," I said. "You're right, I should have told you Shika."

"Alright, why are you agreeing with me," Shikamaru said. "You never agree with me unless you want something."

"Well," I started. "It's nothing really. I was planning on having dinner with a friend later on at seven."

"What is it that you need me to do," Shika groaned. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "I don't need you to do anything Shika," I said. "Can't I just agree with you because I'm in a good mood and not because I want something from you?"

"No," Shikamaru stated. "It's very unlikely that would happen too."

"Well it's one of those unlikely times my idiotic twin brother," I said with a sigh. Shika smirked and shook his head. We did fight a lot, but we always ended it in a good way. Shika could care less if I called him idiotic, and I could care less if he called me troublesome. We knew how to get on each others nerves sure, but it never escalated beyond words. "Alright," said a voice that quieted down the whole group of Genin. "Once you all have taken a number, I need every one of you to sit down on the chair with that number. No switching or trading of any kind and the numbers are all randomized. I'll call your names and each one of you will take that number and sit down in the next room. Understand?" I waited impatiently with Shikamaru, Hinata, Choji, and Shino. One by one each of us were selected at random and I got R 4 S 26. I was guessing it meant row four, seat twenty six. I sat down in the next room and realized Shikamaru was sitting in front of me. I smiled and kicked the back of his chair. "Hey, pineapple head," I said as he turned to face me. "Better not cheat off of my paper cause I'll tell on you!"

"Why would I cheat off a lame brain like you," Shika said with a knowing smile.

"Oh it's on big brother," I said. "I hope you don't fall asleep and smear your answers with drool!"

"You're the one that'll fall asleep," Shikamaru retorted. "I wasn't the one that stayed up late last night looking at the moon with their boyfriend!" That remark made me glare daggers at my brother. I didn't mind the playful banter, we did that before every test we had, but bringing a friend in on it was a low blow; especially for Shika. "At least I don't have a crush on Hinata," I muttered. Shikamaru didn't have a crush on Hinata at all, but this was my way of letting him know he went too far. "I don't cry out for Sasuke in my sleep like you do," Shikamaru said with a glare. I was about to tackle him for that, when to my surprise, Sasuke sat down on my left. "As long as it's not any of the other girls in here," Sasuke muttered. I wanted to choke my brother to death as he stared at me apologetically. He knew I didn't like Sasuke; in fact I thought the guy was obsessed with himself. I mean I can understand being all depressed and emo because your own brother killed your family, but come on! Make some friends and move on with your life. Sure Sasuke was nice at times, but was I going to grovel all over him just because every other girl in class did? No way; I've got better things to do with my life.

"Is this the fourth row," a familiar voice asked. I looked to my right and there stood Gaara. I smiled and nodded. "Sure is," I said. "Looks like we get to sit next to each other."

"Hm," was all Gaara said as he sat next to me and looked at the piece of paper in front of him. I kept looking at him and when he glanced at me, I looked away with a blush. "What," Gaara asked tersely.

"Nothing," I said slowly. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Fine," he said. "Why?"

"No reason," I answered, rolling my pencil back and forth on my desk. "Just wondered is all." I hadn't really noticed it before, but Gaara was really cute. I felt my face grow even flusher as he rolled his eyes and looked away. Great, I thought. Why is it I like guys that ignore me and show no interest in me? Maybe it was the eyes…

"Gaara," said a new voice that was sitting behind me. "Who's your cute new friend?" I looked next to Gaara to see who he was talking about, but I didn't see anyone there. "None of your business Kankuro," Gaara answered, glaring at the boy behind me. "It's not like I know her anyway."

"Yeah you do," Kankuro said. "I saw you talking to her earlier with Temari. Did you make sure you could sit next to her?" I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as my blush grew even more prominent, and I attempted to slip underneath the table. "No need to be so shy sweetie pie," Kankuro said. I could tell he was looking right at me. "My name's Kankuro. What's yours?"

"Suki," Sasuke whispered as he looked at me. "Are you alright?" I stood up quickly, making my chair clatter to the floor, and looked at Sasuke. "Fine," I said in a high voice. "I just need to use the restroom! Not feeling so well!" Shikamaru looked at me and shook his head; knowing I was in an embarrassing situation. I backed away from Sasuke, tripped over one of the legs of my fallen chair and landed in Gaara's lap, making him crash to the floor on top of me. "S-sorry," I stuttered. I was now red as a ripe tomato while Gaara just stared me in the eye with a dazed sort of look. Sand slowly began to lift my head and brought our lips closer together. Gaara's lips were parted slightly, as if he wanted to kiss me in a rough, yet sweet way.

"You're in my way," said a low, emotionless voice. Gaara's sand dropped my head quickly as if realizing what he was about to do. The two of us glanced at a very unhappy Neji, who looked as if he just really wanted to get by. Gaara got up quickly and sat back down again. I got up just as fast, and rushed off to the bathroom so I could cool down my burning face.


	3. Chapter 3

Gaara's POV

I couldn't believe I saw _her_ today. I was hoping that girl Suki was just a dream, but she was real; completely real. She was so beautiful in the moonlight, but the moon didn't do justice. I shouldn't be near her at all and yet every time she was around either my sand pulled her closer, or fate had a hand in it. Her smile made me feel so…so…good inside. I couldn't explain the feelings she gave me. It felt so good to be near her, so wonderful to touch her.

I shook my head trying to rid myself of those thoughts. I was so close to kissing her too…I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't even me that lifted her head; my sand had acted on its own once again. _Imagine_ the voice inside me said._Imagine__just__how__much__blood__she__would__spill.__It__would__look__so__gorgeous__against__her__pale__skin__during__a__full__moon.__Her__dark__crimson__blood__must__taste__so__sweet__…_

No, I thought. Stop…stop saying such things…

_You__don__'__t__want__to__hurt__her.__That__'__s__new,_ the voice said again._I__know__exactly__what__you__want.__You__want__to__lick__the__blood__from__her__cold__lips__and__neck.__It__'__s__her__body__that__ails__you__nothing__else.__You__lust__for__her__blood__just__like__I__do,__maybe__a__little__bit__more.__You__don__'__t__care__for__her,__you__only__think__you__do.__She__'__s__playing__games__with__your__mind__Gaara._

That must be it, I thought. She must have great genjutsu abilities. I must stay away from her. Suki must know about my abilities. I feel nothing for her, all the feelings are trivial. She placed them in there to fool me. No one cares about me; I'm a monster.

_You__'__re__no__monster,_ the voice answered. _You__'__re__a__powerful__demon__that__can__rule__the__world.__The__leaf__village__must__be__using__her__as__an__assassin.__Kill__her;__kill__her__tonight__while__you__walk__her__home.__Once__you__do__that,__take__her__blood.__It__must__taste__so__sweet__and__pure;__I__haven__'__t__had__a__pure__virgin__'__s__blood__in__many__years._

Calm yourself Shukaku, I said, as a smile grew across my face. Her blood will be spilt tonight. Just as long as we don't leave a mess…it must taste wonderful.

"Gaara," said a voice from behind me. "Who is she?"

"Does it really matter Kankuro," I asked turning to face him. He smiled slightly and nodded. "I just want to know her name so I can ask her out sometime. She really is cute," was his reply. I glared at him and looked towards Suki's brother; who was now facing Kankuro and glaring at him. "If looks could only kill," I muttered under my breath.

"Why would you ask her out," her brother asked. "She's only fourteen. Why not wait a few more years?"

"Why wait when you can have the goods now," Kankuro said with a smile; anger rose inside me as he continued on. "What's it to you anyway; she your girlfriend or something?"

"She happens to be my sister," her brother said threateningly. "If you even lay a hand on her you will have to answer to me." He was now standing and glaring at Kankuro; and the other boy who was sitting next to Suki was doing the same. "I'm scared now," Kankuro said with a laugh. "Don't worry, I'll treat her right. Once she starts to bore me, I'll let her go nice and easy." Suki's brother was about to lunge at Kankuro, but my sand was quicker. Part of it blocked her brother and the black haired boy that was sitting on Suki's left, and the rest wrapped itself around Kankuro's mouth and neck.

"I apologize for my older brother's behavior," I growled, as the sand began to choke Kankuro. "He doesn't know when to shut up." The sand blocking Suki's brother and other boy retreated slowly back into my gourd. "Our Sensei, sister, and I will deal with him later," I continued, as the sand lightened up on Kankuro. "Again, I'm very sorry that he said those things about Suki. I know she's not the kind of person that would like to hear my brother prattle on like he does."

"Just make sure he doesn't do it again," Suki's brother said as he sat down again. The rest of my sand retreated back and I glared at Kankuro again. He was gasping for air a little, but looked none the worse for ware. He looked at me with anger for a moment then looked away in fear. I looked forward again and saw Suki walking back over to her seat. It was still not upright, so I used some sand to lift it back up. "Thanks," she whispered while taking her place next to me once more.

"Just don't fall over again," I muttered, trying not to make eye contact. She laughed a little and rubbed the back of her head. "I'll try to remember that," she said. "I'm usually not so clumsy."

Suki's POV

After splashing cold water on my face to calm down, I walked back to rejoin the group. There was a bit of a commotion, and I saw Shikamaru and Sasuke almost lunge at the boy that was sitting behind me. Gaara stopped them both with his sand, and used some of it to choke the other boy. I was a little worried that Gaara might actually kill him when he said something about me. I felt that stupid blush come back as Gaara let the boy go and looked at me. Trying to maintain the very little dignity I had left, I walked back to my seat and decided to ask Shika what had happened after the test.

"Welcome," said a man with scars all over his face. "My name is Ibiki Morino, and I'm the head of the Interrogations Department. I want all of you to turn your paper over and answer the questions on it. The last question will be asked by me in an hour and a half. Begin now."

I turned the paper over and looked at the most absurd questions I had ever seen. I knew Shikamaru and I could easily answer them, but Shika and I were much smarter than most of the other students. They defiantly wouldn't be able to answer these questions. I looked at my paper and started to fiddle with my hair, deep in thought. I glanced up and noticed that there was a guy that was jotting down answers pretty quickly. He seemed much older than the rest of us, and I looked around the room to see about four more like him. That's when it clicked.

We were supposed to gather the information from them. It had nothing to do with how smart we were; it had to do with our stealth skills. I smiled and did a few small hand signs under the table and connected my shadow with the ninja that was closest to me. Instead of me controlling him, I let my hand be guided by his so I could jot down all the answers. I was pretty proud of myself since Dad had been teaching it to me for a while now and I never had the chance to use it until now. I finished and leaned back with a proud smile on my face as Shika sat there with his finger tips touching. I sighed, knowing he was having the same problem I had earlier. Connecting our shadows, I made him pick up his pencil and wrote down what he needed to do. He began to write down on his paper to tell me he knew, and that he was just resting. I erased the message and challenged him to a game of shoji after the test. He turned to look at me and smiled. I took it as a yes and smiled back.

Later…after tying with Shikamaru for the millionth time in Shoji…

I walked to Ichiraku Ramen and saw Naruto sitting there eating all by himself. "Hey Naruto," I said as I sat down next to him. He looked at me with his goofy smile and swallowed what was in his mouth. "Hey Suki," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I invited a friend here for dinner," I said. "His name is Gaara."

"That sounds like fun," Naruto said after finishing his twentieth bowl. "Sorry, but I have to go and train for a bit. See you round Suki!" I nodded and waved as I watched Naruto leave. "Excuse me," said the girl behind the counter. "Will you be paying for his ramen?" I glanced at all the bowls and sighed. "Jerk," I muttered. "What kind of guy skips off leaving a girl to pay for his tab?"

"Suki," I heard someone say behind me. "Have you eaten already?" I turned to see Gaara standing behind me with a confused and hurt look. "No," I answered. "A friend of mine just left me here to pay for his bill."

"Some friend," Gaara muttered. I smiled and looked at the ground. "It's okay," I said. "I can get him for it later. Thankfully I have enough here to pay for it, but…"

"But what?"

"I won't have enough to pay for the two of us," I whispered, kicking at a rock on the ground. Gaara looked at the girl behind the counter and asked her how much Naruto had cost me. "Ten specials for 100 yen and ten regular's for 50 yen comes to 1500 yen," she said. I sighed and pulled out all the money I had on me; even my secret stash I had in my hidden pocket for emergencies. "Well, so much for getting something to eat," I said.

"I have some money," Gaara said. "I'll pay for you if you like."

"Really? I don't know Gaara," I said. "I really don't like having people spend their money on me."

"Yet you're perfectly capable of spending your own money on someone else," Gaara said. "Why?" I shrugged as he looked at me confused. "I don't know," I answered. "I don't mind spending my money on others because I like to make them feel happy. When others are happy, I feel happy. Besides, isn't it nice to do something for others?"

"No one would have done that for me," Gaara whispered. I looked at his sad eyes and felt bad for him. "I would have," I said. "In fact I was planning on paying for you tonight, but I guess that plan was a fail." Gaara seemed to smile at me for a moment, and then looked away. "We can go to the meadow and watch the stars instead if you want," I suggested.

"Sit down," Gaara said in his low voice. "I'll pay for you." I really didn't want him to pay for me, but I sat down and ordered something small anyway. Gaara didn't seem too happy that I had ordered the cheapest thing there, but he was getting me to eat something which was fine. After eating and chatting for a while, I took him to the meadow to look at the stars as they came out.

Gaara's POV

Suki was waiting for me at the ramen stand like she said. I was a bit surprised to see her pull out her wallet and start to pay for some food, and I thought she had already eaten. Apparently one of her friends ditched her with his bill. She paid for a friends' bill with all her money, so I felt it only fair to pay for her meal. Suki ordered something small because she didn't want me to pay too much.

Afterwards, she took me to a hill so we could watch some stars together. I couldn't understand why she was trying to be so nice to me. "It's such a beautiful night," she said while she lay down on the grass.

"Yes," I whispered, not being able to take my eyes off of her. Suki was smiling and staring off into space as I watched her. Finally she glanced at me and her smile deepened. "What is it," she said, her light, sweet voice trailing in the soft gust of wind. I shook my head and looked away. She's using some sort of jutsu to make you feel this way, I thought, trying to calm the pounding drum inside my chest. She's just trying to use you.

"Are you alright," Suki asked, sitting up to look at me in a concerned manner. "You seem a little out of it Gaara."

"It's nothing," I said, trying to convince myself more than her. Suki crawled closer to feel my forehead with the back of her hand. I brushed her hand away and stood up. "Stop it," I whispered. Suki looked at me with confusion written all over her face. "Stop what," she asked.

"Stop…stop being so nice to me," was all I managed to say. "Stop pretending to like me when you could care less."

"I'm not pretending," she whispered. "I do like you." Suki looked so hurt after I said that and I now felt horrible. "I don't believe you," I said, looking away. Her beautiful brown eyes welled with tears. "Gaara, I do like you. You're really nice, smart, kind, and cute," she stopped to bite her lower lip and look away. "Why do you think I'm nice," I shouted. "Ever since I was a child everyone hated me; they all feared me and kept away from me because I'm a monster!"

"Gaara," Suki said getting up and walking over to me. "You're not a monster."

_Kill__her,_ Shukaku said. _Kill__her__now.__She__'__s__only__making__you__think__what__she__wants__you__too.__I__want__her__blood__spilt__now!_

"No," I yelled as I collapsed to the ground. I could hardly breathe as Shukaku tried to break the barrier. I didn't understand why he wanted to hurt Suki so much, but I knew I had to keep her safe. "I…I don't…I don't want to hurt her," I whispered. Suki came closer and put her arm around me. I really didn't want to hurt her. I didn't know why, but I felt happy around her. _Kill__her__now__Gaara,__I__want__her__blood__spilt__all__over__the__ground!__I__want__to__taste__her__sweet__blood__and__to__hear__her__scream__as__we__tear__her__apart!__You__can__do__whatever__you__want__to__her__afterward,__but__I__want__her__dead__now!_

No, I thought. I don't want her to get hurt.

"Gaara," Suki said. "What's wrong?" She was holding me close to her, and I somehow felt calmer; I could even breathe a bit easier. What was she doing to me? "Please Gaara," she whispered. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Get away," I managed to say through ragged breathes. "I don't know…how long I can hold back…"

"Gaara…"

"Go," I shouted pushing her away from me with sand. "Leave before you get hurt!"

"But…I…"

"Now," I shouted. I watched as she fell back and looked at me with fear; like everyone else did. She ran off with tears in her eyes. I knew what I did was mean, but I couldn't let her get close to me. I hated seeing her get hurt because of me, but at least I didn't kill her. I still didn't know why but I cared about her. The thing that was troubling me the most was why Shukaku wanted her dead when I wanted her alive. I had always killed whoever he wanted to kill, not caring who it was; but with Suki…I just didn't understand it.


	4. Chapter 4

Suki's POV

"Gaara," I whispered as I leaned against a building while trying to catch my breath. "Why do you just keep pushing me away?" I had just run away from the meadow and into the village. I was really upset and I felt tears trail down my cheeks as I walked home slowly. I didn't feel like I could go much farther, so I leaned against a fence and sighed. "Suki," I heard a voice say. "What are you doing here?" I looked over and saw Neji standing there staring at me. "Neji," I whispered. Not realizing what I was doing, I rushed into his arms and started to cry even harder. Neji wrapped his arms around me tentatively. "What's wrong," Neji asked in a concerned voice.

"It's nothing," I muttered. Neji lifted my chin with his fingertips and made me look him in the eye. "It seems like something," he said. I smiled and shook my head. "Don't worry about it," I said. Why would Neji care anyway? He always ignored me when he saw me, and why he was holding me now was a mystery to me. I pulled away from Neji and started to walk away. "I should walk you home," he said. "It's a little late."

"I can take care of myself," I said with a smile. "I am a ninja you know."

"That was why you ran into my arms crying," Neji said as he caught up with me. "I'm going to walk you home anyway."

"Why," I asked. "You've never walked me home before."

"Then I guess it's a good time to start." Neji actually smiled at me and I laughed. "You saying you never walked before," I said. Neji laughed and shook his head. "Not to your house no," he said. I tripped and fell forward a little, and Neji easily caught me.

"Sorry Neji," I said with a blush. "I'm a little clumsy today. In fact, I've been really clumsy lately…"

"I noticed," he said. His arm was still around my waist and his wonderful lavender eyes stared into mine. I felt myself become short of breath as he pulled me closer to him. "Neji," I whispered as he kept gazing into my eyes. Neji seemed to snap out of his daze and let me go. "Why are you doing this," I finally asked, now no longer walking. Neji stopped and looked at me. "What do you mean," he asked.

"Whenever you're around me you always ignore me," I said. "I never did anything to make you not like me, and you act like I don't exist."

"I'm sorry," Neji whispered. "I know what you say is true and I know I shouldn't."

"Then why do you," I said as he came closer.

"I don't really have a reason," he said. "It's not like I don't like you as a friend Suki, because I do. I know you're a very kind person, but for some reason I'm just that way around you."

"Why the sudden change of heart," I said as I began to walk forward slowly. Neji took my hand and led me home. "Don't really know," he whispered. "I guess I really want to get to know you better." I smiled and walked in silence with Neji the rest of the way home. Once I was at the front door, Neji took my hand and kissed it before walking away, leaving me redder than a McIntosh apple.

The Next Afternoon; during the second exam…

"Great," Kiba said sitting beneath a tree with Akamaru. "We're going around in circles and we really need that other scroll!"

"Complaining about it isn't going to get us anywhere," Shino said, one of his bugs circling him. Hinata stood next to me and fidgeted a little. "Come on guys," I said. "Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to think of a plan…"

"Maybe we could make a copy of our scroll and trade it with someone who has a copy of the one we need," Kiba said.

"No," Shino said. "We're not allowed to open the scroll."

"Yeah, yeah," Kiba said just before he tried to open the scroll. I grabbed it from his hands and stuffed it in my tool pouch. "Kiba," I said. "We can't! We have to battle some of the other ninja's for a scroll." Kiba just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said while getting up. "I just think it would be easier my way."

"Stop complaining," I muttered as we started to walk again. Kiba smirked and put his arm around my waist. "Make me gorgeous," he said. I let out a frustrated sigh and pushed Kiba away. "Come on," Kiba continued. "I won't tell Choji if you won't…"

"I'm not dating Choji," I snapped, not being able to take anymore of Kiba's annoying personality. "Just because I kissed him a couple times doesn't mean I'm dating him! At least shut up for five minutes and help the rest of us think of a plan." I heard Akamaru bark, and Kiba motioned everyone to silence. Soon we heard shouting and decided to creep closer to find out what was going on. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata hid under a bush, while I went up a tree.

There were three sound village ninja's with parasols picking a fight with a red haired boy and his companions. I gasped when I realized it was Gaara and wanted to run off, but I kept myself hidden. The sound ninja's began to twirl their umbrellas and needles flew from them. One went off coarse and scratched my cheek, making me bleed slowly. I held back a little cry of pain and kept watch. None had hit Gaara and the others with him, since he put up a barrier of sand. I continued to watch as he wrapped sand around the three ninja's and squeezed them to death. Blood spurted everywhere, and Gaara just stood there smiling.

I was frightened when I saw this, and I was afraid that the others might get hurt as well. I was hoping the three would just take the scroll and leave, when sand wrapped around me and slowly brought me down to face Gaara.

Gaara's POV

Temari, Kankuro, and I had been ambushed by some sound ninja that I took care of it quickly. We were about to leave when my sand flowed upwards and wrapped itself around something. "Suki," I whispered, once my sand came back down. Anger welled up inside me; I was hoping I wouldn't see her again after last night and now she was following me. "What are you doing here?"

"I…I was looking for a scroll and got lost from my team," she said. "I climbed the tree to see if I could spot them but I guess not."

"I see," I said as my sand brought her closer to me. "You're bleeding." I wiped some blood from her cheek and placed her beneath a tree nearby. "I'll get some water to wash it off," Temari said. "Kankuro, why don't you come with me?"

"You can get it yourself," Kankuro said. "If you need so much help, have Gaara do it. I'd rather stay and help this poor young lady." He smiled at Suki and I felt my fists clench. I didn't like the way he was looking at her or the way he smiled at her. "I'll watch her," I growled. "You go with Temari." Kankuro rolled his eyes, but followed Temari anyway. I sat next to Suki and sighed. She looked a little upset, but she still smiled at me. "How can you still smile after what you just saw," I muttered.

"It's not like I've never seen anyone die before," she whispered, looking away. "They would have killed you too if they had the chance, and I'm also happy you're alright." She smiled at me and I felt my heart begin pounding. Why did I feel so different around her? It's like someone put my heart in a vice and glued my feet to the ground whenever I looked at her. "Why do you care if I'm hurt or not," I asked, looking away from her wonderful brown eyes.

"Because you're my friend," she simply said. I tried to hide the shocked look on my face as I looked at her again. "You consider me a friend," I asked looking away again.

"Of course I do; why wouldn't I?"

"No one thinks of me as a friend."

"What about the two you do your missions with? They seemed to care about you," she said.

"They're my brother and sister," I said. "If they could, they'd leave me to die." I could feel Temari looking at me from behind one of the trees. She probably sent Kankuro for the water while she hid to watch me and Suki. I could tell she was interested in the affect Suki had on me. "I don't think your own brother and sister would leave you to die somewhere if they could," Suki said. "My brother and I fight a lot, but I know he would never leave me on my own. In fact, he worries about me to much; I guess it's because I'm the younger twin. Most older brothers and sisters worry about the youngest one."

"Maybe," I whispered. "But not my brother and sister. No one in my village wants to be my friend."

"Geez," Suki said. "Aren't you the optimistic one…you really don't have any faith in others do you?"

"Not when they all hate me so much," I said. Suki just sighed and shook her head. "Well," she said. "I don't hate you." I glared at her for a second, but her eyes were full of truth; it seemed as though she really didn't hate me. Those eyes…they made me feel so alive and free, yet they took me in and I would just barely be able to look away. Suki made me feel so…so…I shook my head and forced myself to look away. I could tell Suki was smiling as she continued to look at me. "Are you blushing," she asked.

"No," I said, trying to hide my face. I couldn't believe Suki was making me blush like this. No one had ever done something like this to me before and I couldn't understand it. "Gaara," Suki said slowly. "I don't feel so well…"

"What do you mean," I asked looking at her. My eyes widened with surprise; she was so pale now, and she was shaking a bit. Grabbing her arm to lay her down on the ground, I felt how cold she was. It was like grabbing an ice cube with your bare hands. "Suki," I whispered. "Damn. Those needles had poison on them…Temari, stop watching us and help me out!"

"You knew I was still here the whole time huh," she said, stepping out from her hiding spot. "She was poisoned by those needles wasn't she?"

"Yes," I answered. Temari nodded and searched through her pouch. "Here," she said taking out an antidote. "I don't think she can take it now, she'll need help to swallow this." I glared at Temari and then looked at Suki. I hated the fact that she was right; Suki's breathing was shallow, and her eyes were closed. "I got the water," Kankuro said. Temari and I glared at him. "What took you so long," Temari shouted as she punched him in the gut.

"It's not my fault," Kankuro shouted back. "It took me forever to find a good stream! What's wrong with her anyway?"

"She's been poisoned," I said quietly. "She needs help taking the antidote." Kankuro smiled devilishly and my glare became more prominent. I was glad that Temari had handed me the bottle before Kankuro arrived, but I couldn't muster up the courage to take a swig of the antidote and force it into Suki's mouth via mine. "If you want some help, let me know," Kankuro said.

"No thanks," I growled, walking over to Suki. I knelt by her and noticed a small white puppy with brown ears sniffing her. It turned its head and barked at me, then howled. Three more shin-obi appeared in front of us and looked down at Suki. One was a girl with lavender eyes, and the two others were guys around my age; one with sunglasses and a long jacket, the other with brown eyes and a cocky expression on his face. "S-Suki," said the girl. "What's wrong?"

"She got hit with a poisoned needle," I answered. "She fell from the tree while looking for her squad members."

"We're her squad members," the boy with the sunglasses said while checking Suki. "We need to get an antidote in her now. She's close to dying!"

"I have one here," I said slowly. "My sister is well prepared and keeps all sorts of medical supplies on hand." I could feel Temari glaring at me from behind. I knew she wanted me to give Suki the antidote, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "Give me that," the other boy said. "I'll give it to her!" The boy took a large drink and took her in his arms. I felt something like a monster inside me growl with anger and hate once his lips touched hers. I knew it wasn't Shukaku; he was enjoying watching her writhe in pain to much, but then what was it? I couldn't have two demons inside me could I? "Come on Suki, wake up!" The boy that had just given her the antidote was really worried and held her close to him. "You idiot Kiba," the one with the sunglasses said. "It's going to take a while for the antidote to kick in. Just keep her warm!"

The one called Kiba nodded, took off his jacket and put it on Suki to keep her warm. Suki had broken into a cold sweat and her breathing was labored. The lavender eyed girl pulled off her jacket as well and placed it on Suki. "Keep the hood on her," I whispered while turning away. "You lose most body heat from your head." I was about to leave when I heard Suki moan something. "Who or what is 'Gaara'," Kiba asked. My eyes widened and I looked at him. "What," I whispered. "Is that what she just said?" Her whole squad nodded and Temari pushed me towards her. "She obviously wants you to be with her now," she said in a harsh whisper. "Just hold her for a little bit and then we'll leave." I sighed, knowing I couldn't argue with her because she'd just flat out make me anyway. "May I," I said, kneeling down in front of Kiba with my arms outstretched. The glare on Kiba's face made me want to get back up again, but he placed Suki in my arms and got up.

My heart practically stopped once Suki was in my arms. She was still unconscious, but she mumbled my name again and this time, I heard it. "I'm here Suki," I whispered in her ear. "I'm not going anywhere." I could have sworn a smile made its way across her dry lips. _Just__look__at__how__fragile__she__is_, Shukaku chuckled. _She__shouldn__'__t__be__a__ninja__if__she__can__'__t__take__a__small__dose__of__poison__like__that._

Shut up, I thought. Just stay out of this_._

_Look at what she's done to you, she's made you weak. You think that inside she cares about you? No, I can tell you she doesn't. She's just like the rest of them; cold and uncaring. It doesn't matter to her what you do, just as long as it's convenient._

I don't think she's like that. Suki seems different to me_._

_Just because she seems different doesn't mean she is. Trust me kid, all babes ever do is whine and complain until they get what they want; then they leave you for some other sucker that thinks he's just found the catch of his life, till she sinks her claws into him. Oh, she's put up a pretty good front about genuinely caring, saying that you're her friend and she thinks you're 'really nice, smart, kind, and cute.' I almost died laughing when she said she liked you! Start thinking with that head of yours; she just wants to use you like the rest of them!_

Just shut up, I shouted at him. Shukaku had to be wrong; Suki wouldn't lie to me, would she?


	5. Chapter 5

Suki's POV

_I was floating in cold darkness, all alone. I remembered I was talking to Gaara, but then I just felt my eyes drooping. "Gaara," I said. "Gaara, where are you?" I heard a malicious chuckle and then a deep voice. "Gaara, help me," it said with a laugh. "I need you to come save me! Drop the act girl, it's not worth it."_

"_Who the hell are you," I shouted. A huge sandy squirrel looking monster with blue ears and veins appeared in front of me. "I'm no one of importance," it said. "I know who you are though, Suki Nara."_

"_How do you know my name," I asked, as a huge paw came towards me and lifted me up. It started to squeeze my body and I felt like my head was going to pop off. "Let's just say we have a friend in common," the squirrel monster said. "I should kill you for what you're doing to him."_

"_I don't know what you're talking about," I whispered, barely able to breath. "Who is it that you're talking about?"_

"_Foolish girl, I'm talking about Gaara," it said. "I'm the thing he was tying to protect you from! I'm Shukaku, the one tailed demon. I'm what resides inside Gaara, and if you knew what's best for you, you'd stay away from him!"_

"_Why? Gaara's my friend, and…"_

"_Friend? HA! He could care less about you. You're nothing but a burden to him; all you do is tell him things that he doesn't believe. He hates you more than you think. I would be honored to dispose of you, but I can't just yet. We have bigger plans for you in store."_

"_I don't believe you," I screamed. Shukaku just squeezed me even harder and laughed. "Want me to prove it to you? Just look over there for a moment." I turned my head to see Gaara just standing there. "Gaara," I shouted. "Help me please!" Gaara just glared at me, and shook his head. "Why would I want to save you," he said. "You're so annoying and you always complain; I never even liked you to begin with."_

"_You see," Shukaku said, while throwing me to the ground. "He could care less." I didn't know why, but tears welled in my eyes. He turned to go when I realized something important. Ever since I had met Gaara, everything was different. When I was around him, I felt like everything was more enjoyable. I didn't want him to go, I wanted him to stay. "Gaara," I shouted again. I ran toward him and wrapped my arms around him from behind. "Please," I whispered. "Please don't go Gaara. I want you to stay; I care about you."_

"_I'm here Suki," I heard him say. "I'm not going anywhere." He turned around and held me close to him. "Gaara," I whispered, while looking into his eyes. "I…I…" Gaara put a finger to my lips to shush me. "You don't need to say anything," Gaara whispered. I felt my lips being drawn to his and I wanted to kiss him. Gaara was inching closer and closer to me. "Gaara," Shukaku shouted. "Don't do it!" Our lips were about to touch when…_

"Suki, please wake up," I heard someone say. I opened my eyes and saw my squad members, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. "Gaara," I whispered. "What…What just happened?"

"Thank God," Kiba said. "You've finally woken up."

"That needle that hit you," Gaara said. "It was coated in a poison. You passed out from it." I blushed as I realized Gaara was holding me close to him. I wondered if we really had gotten close to kissing… "Suki, I'm happy you're alright," Gaara said. "I was worried you wouldn't wake up." I felt my heart skip a beat as he pulled me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt my blush become redder. "Suki," I heard Shino say. "I think we should get going." I didn't want to let go of Gaara, but I had to. I stood up slowly and Gaara followed suit. As I started to walk towards Hinata to give her back her jacket, Gaara grabbed my arm. "I need to speak to you alone for a moment," he whispered in my ear. I nodded, handed Hinata her and Kiba's coat, than followed Gaara to a more secluded place. I knew the others of my team would worry, but I knew Gaara wouldn't hurt me. He wanted to protect me from something, at least that much I knew. I cared about him for some reason, I didn't know what reason it was but I didn't care about that. I just knew that I cared for him.

"Suki," Gaara said as he stopped suddenly. "I want you to have this." He turned and handed me a scroll. "Gaara, this is the scroll we need, you shouldn't just give it to me," I said. "I can't take this."

"It's for all the trouble I caused you," he answered. "Besides, we have another one of them."

"How did you know that we had the other one," I asked.

"It was a fifty-fifty chance that you had it, but I still wanted to apologize somehow."

"You don't need to apologize," I whispered. "You saved my life by giving me an antidote."

"Actually, Temari supplied it; the one called Kiba forced it into your mouth."

"Ah, that's why I tasted dog fur on my lips," I said with a smile. "Still, thank you anyway Gaara."

"There's no need to thank me," he said while looking away. I felt my smile fall and I walked closer to him. I placed a small kiss on his cheek and smiled softly. Gaara looked at me surprised and had a blush on his face. "Suki," I heard Kiba call. "We have to get going!"

"I guess we'd better get back," I said. Gaara nodded but didn't look at me. I felt like such an idiot for giving him a kiss on the cheek, but I couldn't help it. "Are you ready to go," Shino asked once Gaara and I got back.

"Yeah," I said. "See you later Gaara, and thank you." Gaara still didn't look at me and only nodded. I felt so bad now, like I had done something wrong. While we walked away, I felt everyone become less and less tense but I still remained the same. Once we were definably out of ear shot, Kiba finally broke the silence. "What did he do to you?"

"What are you talking about," I asked.

"He's not a nice guy Suki," Shino said. "We're wondering if it was his fault you were poisoned."

"Gaara is nice," I said in a firm, angry voice. "I was hit by one of those needles that flew from that umbrella thing those other ninja's were using!"

"Gaara, nice? Suki, did you even see what he did to them," Kiba shouted at me. "All he did was envelope them in sand, then squeeze them till their bodies were mush!"

"Look," I said. "If Gaara wasn't nice, he wouldn't have given me the other scroll we needed."

"H-he gave it to you," Hinata asked shyly. I nodded, and showed her the scroll. She looked at the scroll and nodded at me. "You think we can trust him," Shino asked. Kiba shook his head and let out an irritated growl. "There's no way we can trust a freak like that," he shouted. I whirled around and glared at Kiba. "No, he's not a freak," I said in a dangerous voice. "Gaara is a kind and gentle person. You just don't want to understand that!"

"Jeez it's like you weren't even there," Kiba shouted back.

"Look, Gaara was protecting his brother and sister, he's not the kind of person you think he is. I think we should trust him."

"I think Suki's right," Shino said. "He did save her life."

"I can't believe this," Kiba muttered. "I don't think we can trust him, besides, I was the one that administered the antidote."

"How did you do that," I said. "I thought Gaara was the one that did."

"I'll show ya," Kiba said grabbing me and holding me close. I shook my head and pushed Kiba away. "Oh no you don't," I said. "At least he supplied you with the antidote." Kiba just let out an irritated sigh. "Fine," he said. "We'll trust him, but if anything goes wrong so help me…"

"Everything will be fine," I whispered. "I know Gaara wouldn't lie to me."

(Now onto the first round of fights)

I smiled at my brother who had just won his fight. "Good job pineapple head," I shouted across the ring. Shikamaru smiled at me and shook his head. "Of course it was," he shouted back to me. "I was always the better one!"

"Ha," I shouted. "Just wait until I get in that ring! I'll show you who the better one is!"

"Okay you two," Kuruni said. "Cut it out. Let's see who the next match will be between." I smiled and stuck my tongue out at Shikamaru. Shika smiled back and did the same while Choji stared at me and blushed. I then saw Gaara looking at me, so I smiled and waved at him. He blushed and looked away. "Hey Suki," said Sasuke as he walked over to me. "I heard from the fight doctor, Shiranna, that you had been poisoned earlier; you feeling any better?"

"I'm fine Sasuke," I said leaning against the wall. "Luckily, a friend of mine had an antidote on him and gave it to me." Sasuke smirked and placed a hand next to my head. "That's good. I wouldn't be very happy if you were still hurt."

"Really," I said. "I didn't really think you cared." I knew Sasuke liked me, he never made any secret about it, but I really couldn't stand him. He was too arrogant for his own good and I wasn't very happy about his constant flirting. Everywhere I went he seemed to be there, watching me or trying to talk to me. All he ever seemed to talk about was himself or the fact that since he was the last Uchiha, it was up to him to restore his family. I hated it. "I was wondering Suki," he said. "Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?"

"I'm sorry Sasuke," I said. "I have other plans; maybe some other time."

"What are you planning on doing? Going out with Choji?"

"I don't think it's really any of your business." Sasuke scoffed and shook his head. "I don't know what you see in that guy," he said, putting his finger underneath my chin. "You really should be with someone a bit more...sophistication." Sasuke came closer to me and was about to kiss me when someone put their hand on his shoulder. "Someone with sophistication," said a smooth voice. "Wouldn't corner a woman like this and disregard her feelings." Sasuke whirled around to face an angry Neji. I blushed at the sight of him and felt my heart pound a little. Sasuke just grunted and walked back towards Kakashi and Kakashi's girlfriend, Shiranna.

"Thank you Neji," I whispered. Neji looked at me and the anger on his face disappeared. "You don't need to thank me. It was the right thing to do," Neji said. I shook my head. "Yes but, you still didn't have to do it," I mumbled. Neji sort of smiled and I plucked up the courage to kiss him on the cheek. I blushed and looked away toward the sign that displayed the names of the next contestants. "What was that for," Neji asked making me look at him again. I tried to look away, but his lavender eyes captivated me. They were so soft and alluring. "It was my way of thanking you I guess," I answered. "I know I really shouldn't have and I'm sorry but…"

"No, it's alright," Neji whispered as one arm wrapped around my waist and his other hand was placed on my cheek. "I liked it…" I felt my heart pound as Neji's lips came closer to mine. "Suki," Kuruni sensei said as Neji and I hurriedly let go of one another. "You're up next." I nodded and began to walk over to my opponent. "Good luck," Neji said.

"Thanks," I said, still a bit embarrassed that Kuruni had almost caught me about to kiss Neji. "But don't jinx it!" Neji and I smiled at each other as I walked away.

Gaara's POV

Suki had been playfully yelling at her brother after his fight. He did a good job, so I figured he deserved her praise. I hadn't been able to stop looking at her ever since I saw her here; she saw me and waved. All I could do was blush and look away. "Gaara," Kankuro said as he walked over to me. "Did you just blush?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hah," Kankuro said. "You haven't been able to take you're eyes off her since we got here. I can understand though; she's a pretty cute fox. I hope she likes things rough."

"What are you talking about," I said watching him lick his lips.

"I just think that if I turn on the ol' charm she'd be putty in my hands. I'm going over there to talk to her." My sand wrapped around his arm as he passed by me. I was surprised that I didn't even have to tell it to, it acted on its own again. "If you even touch her," I said. "I won't hesitate to kill you." Kankuro sighed then nodded as my sand withdrew back into my gourd. "I don't think I'm the competition though," he said while nodding his head toward Suki. "Looks like she's got herself a boyfriend already." I looked toward Suki to see a boy dressed in a blue shirt and white shorts. Kankuro smiled and walked away as anger filled me. Sand was swirling all around me and I clenched my fists around the railing in front of me. I could hardly breathe; that other monster inside of me reared its head and made me want to lunge over to Suki. I wanted to rip that guy's head off, to spill his blood, but it wasn't Shukaku that was doing this to me. It was something else…all I knew was Suki had a real affect on me.

I watched as he leaned in to kiss her, but before anything else could happen another person walked over and stopped him. He was dressed in a white coat and black pants, with long black hair. Apparently the other guy wasn't her boyfriend, seeing as he walked away a bit upset, I calmed down a little and looked at my hands. There were splinters in them from the railing; it had cracked from my grip and now my hands were bleeding a little. I watched as she smiled at the one that had just rescued her. She seemed to be blushing a bit and I watched helplessly as she kissed his cheek in gratitude. I thought of the time she kissed mine; her soft lips gently pressing against my skin, it made me want to kiss her myself; though I had never kissed anyone before, I had wanted to. Suki was so different from everyone else; she never tried to push me away, she wasn't afraid to look me in the eye and when she did I felt strange…but a nice kind of strange. She even hugged me a few times; something about her made my heart pound.

Now I was watching some other guy come closer to kissing her than I had. I now really wished I wasn't so chicken to administer the antidote…luckily she was called into a fight before his lips could even touch hers. I looked towards the person who was her opponent; he was a big guy and looked like he could do some damage. In fact, he was a giant compared to her, and I couldn't believe the look on his face. All he did was smile like a lecher at her and she smiled back. Her smile surprised me, it seemed like she had a lot of confidence in herself. The fight began by him swinging a huge fist at her face. Suki just ducked and did a few back-flips away from him. I smiled; she was impressive. The way she was fighting, it was like watching a dance. She flipped and dodged wonderfully, her attacks perfectly coordinated, and her jutsu's were powerful. I wasn't surprised that she and her brother had the same jutsu's. Most families had specific jutsu's; although; her jutsu's didn't seem to be genjutsu's. Suki was finally able to win the fight by tripping her opponent and sealing him down with her shadow possession jutsu. She straightened up and looked over at me. She smiled, then waved at me and started to walk over towards the set of stairs that lead up to the landing I was on. "Well what did you think," she asked once she reached me.

"Not bad," I said. "You're a really good fighter."

"Not as good as you," she said with a smile. My eyes widened and I looked away; I had hoped that she didn't see the way I had slaughtered those other ninjas. Someone like her…didn't seem suited for the battlefield. Suki was more like…like a princess you would save from a monster. To bad I was the monster. "I'm sorry you had to see that," I whispered.

"It's something I should get used to you know? I mean, we are ninja's, so when you enter the battlefield you have to be prepared for everything," Suki said. "Being a ninja is hard work, but it's something I want to do."

"You want to do this," I asked her. She nodded and looked me in the eye. "I want to protect people and those that I love; like the way you protected me," she whispered. I couldn't look into those lovely golden brown orbs any longer, but they were so captivating. I didn't understand the feelings that Suki made me feel; they were so different from the ones I'm used to feeling. I shook my head and let out a sigh. "How did I protect you," I asked, knowing full well that I was protecting her from Shukaku, but she didn't know about that; unless someone told her about the true me…

"You protected me from death Gaara," she mumbled. "You gave me an antidote so that I could live, plus you gave me that scroll to protect me from fighting other ninjas. You wouldn't have done that if you weren't worried about me. I don't know how to thank you for all that you've done for me." Suki's eyes were full of sadness and thankfulness at the same time. "I don't need your thanks," I said shortly. I turned toward her to walk away, but she pulled me into an embrace. "Gaara," she whispered. "Could you…hold me again? Like you did when we were alone in the forest?" I was surprised that she wanted me to do that again. Deep down, I really wanted to, but I knew I couldn't. My sensei stared at her and then looked at me. I could tell what he was thinking; that I was planning on killing her before we went through with our plan. I didn't want to hurt Suki; she made me feel like a person and not an object or a tool to be used by others.

Suki buried her face in my chest. "Please," she mumbled. "Please Gaara, I want you to." I wished she knew how much I wanted to hold her, to wipe away her tears when I watched them fall. "No," I said while pushing her away. "Just get lost. If I knew you would be such a nuisance, I would have let you die back there."

"Gaara why," she began. "Why are you being like this now?" She was about to cry, and I was the reason. I didn't want to be, but I had to do this. I couldn't have her get close to me since I would help destroy this village. I figured I may as well make her hate me now. "It was my sister that made me help you back there," I said coldly, glaring at her. "She doesn't like to see others hurt. I would have let you die because I can't stand the sight of you. I can't stand your whining and complaining and the way you pretend to care about others. You could care less about anyone but yourself, and I don't care about you."

Suki looked down at the ground and clenched her fists. "Gaara," she said in a low dangerous voice. "I hate you!" She ran past me and went back to the other side of the landing where her team was. Looking down at the ground, I heard my sensei walking over towards me. "It's a good thing you set her straight," he said. "She would never have meant something to someone like you anyway. That and she probably would have become afraid of you once she found out what a monster you are." My fists balled up as I heard him speak. "Besides, she'll probably die when we go through with our plan. She's not really that strong, so it's just as well. You didn't tell her anything about the plan did you?"

"No," I said in an angry voice. I didn't know why Suki made me feel this way, but I did know I didn't want her harmed in anyway. _You__two__wouldn__'__t__have__lasted__anyway,_ Shukaku said. _Everyone__'__s__first__relationship__never__works__out.__She__never__would__have__loved__you,__because__no__one__loves__you__Gaara._

I looked towards Suki and saw she was talking to a blue haired girl that was on her team. The girl gave her a hug and looked over at me. She didn't seem like the type to dislike others, but the glare from her lavender eyes made me think other wise. I looked away from her, but I could still feel that cold stare. I wanted to apologize to Suki, but I couldn't. I had to stay away from her and to stop this queasy, annoying, wonderful feeling from getting worse than it already was. Not only was that a problem, but the bloodlust in me was becoming more and more unbearable. If there was blood spilt in the next match, I was sure that I would not be able to contain myself.


	6. Chapter 6

Suki's POV

Gaara's words still rang in my head. _You__could__care__less__about__anyone__but__yourself,__and__I__don__'__t__care__about__you__…_I ran from him and went back to my teammates. Shikamaru saw that I was upset and he tried to grab my arm as I passed by. "Suki," I heard him whisper. I didn't stop until reaching Hinata. Only she could understand what I needed to talk to her about. The only reason I wanted Gaara to hold me was because I had felt something when he did. I had also felt something when Neji was holding me, but I couldn't tell which one I liked more. I had thought that it was Gaara's that made me feel more…more complete, but now that he told me he really didn't care about me I knew that nothing would happen. It's not that I wanted anything to happen between us, but before I new it, I grew to like him more than just a friend.

Hinata wrapped her arms around me to comfort me after I told her what happened. I finally stopped crying and looked over at Shikamaru. He was walking over to me as Hinata was called into the ring with Neji. "You can beat him," I whispered to her as she passed by. She gave me a half smile in return and continued to walk into the ring. "You want to tell me what's up," Shika asked after he reached me. I shook my head and didn't look at him. I knew that he would love to wrap his hands around Gaara's throat for what he said to me. "I'll be fine," I said after taking a deep breath.

"I've seen that look before," Shika said with a sigh. "Who do I have to beat up now?" I smiled and shook my head. "Isn't that usually my line," I asked. Shika smiled back and shook his head. "Fine," he said. "You'll tell me when you want to." I nodded and watched the fight between Neji and Hinata. I became worried about my best friend; it seemed as though something bad would happen. Trying to shake the feeling, I stood there shocked as Hinata coughed up some blood. "Hinata," I whispered. I was about to jump over the railing to see if she was alright, but Shika stopped me. "We can't interfere; besides, Naruto is yelling his head off at her already."

I looked at Naruto and heard him cheering her on. "Go Hinata," I shouted. "I know you can do it!" Neji looked up at me and seemed to look hurt. I didn't really mind if he won, but Hinata was the one that should win. That way she could gain some self confidence, but it seemed that Naruto was doing that for her. I think she was happy to have him watch her for once, instead of her watching him. Hinata had the hugest crush on Naruto and I thought they would be great together. He could inspire her to be so much more courageous and made her feel like she could do anything.

I watched Neji as he pounded his hand against Hinata's chest one last time. This time Hinata couldn't get up. She just coughed up more blood and lay there, barely able to move. Naruto shouted at her again, and she was able to get up. I knew if he hit her in the chest one more time, she'd die. Almost every sensei stopped him, except Asuma. Even Shiranna was in between Neji and Hinata. Kuruni sensei and Shiranna rushed over to Hinata's side with Naruto right behind them. I was so worried about Hinata and so angry at Neji. This time Shika didn't stop me from jumping over the railing to get to her. "She's going into Cardiac Arrest, someone get a medic," Kuruni shouted. Shiranna rushed toward Hinata, her hands already glowing with a green healing chakra. "I have to stabilize her chakra first," I said. "It's putting out much more than it should be around her heart. I think I can keep her alive until the others come."

"You can't completely heal her," I asked coming closer.

"I could, but it would take so much chakra and I have to save some in case any other serious injures occur," she said looking at me with a sad face. "I know that you care for your friend deeply, and I wish there was more I could do but I don't have anything else on me that would help."

"Is there anything I can do," I asked. Shiranna nodded. "Just sit down and hold her hand. If you talk to her, her body will be less tense."

"How do you know that," I asked as I kneeled down and held Hinata's hand. Shiranna smiled and focused more of her attention on Hinata. "A familiar caring voice makes a person happy both consciously and unconsciously. Hinata will be able to relax that way." I nodded and glared at Neji. It was his fault she was in this condition. "Hinata," I whispered. "After all this is over, why don't you stay at my place for a sleepover? Remember last time? We were watching a scary movie. Shika screamed like a little girl and you got so frightened you took the popcorn bowl from Choji and dumped it on Shikamaru's head. He couldn't get that butter and salt out of his hair for at least an hour. Since we all were so scared from the movie, we stayed up in that makeshift tent with flashlights and tried to protect ourselves. Poor dad came down to get some water and we thought he was the monster…he was so sore the next day from us beating him up." I could have sworn I saw a smile on her face as the medics came to take her away. Naruto was walking away with Lee at this point and Neji walked over to me. "Don't come near me," I mumbled. "I can't believe you hurt her like that."

"She deserved it," Neji said looking me in the eye. "She is not destined to become the head of the Hyuga clan. Hinata is too weak for it."

"Is that right," I said, my anger rising every second. "Hinata looks up to you like an older brother, wants to help and become stronger, and you think she's weak?"

"She cares too much for others. You shouldn't rely on everyone else the way she does. Hinata is a liability," Neji said. I wanted to slap him across the face for what he did but I controlled myself. "I can't believe Hinata would care about someone like you," I said in a low voice. "What makes me even angrier is that I actually cared about you too. I liked you Neji but now that I've seen you for who you really are…" I couldn't finish so I just stomped away fuming. I swear, the next person to piss me off was going to be punched in the face…"Suki, are you alright," I heard someone say. Choji looked upset as he walked towards me. "I'm just…angry at Neji for what he did to Hinata," I said looking away from him. He nodded and knew there was something else wrong, but didn't press the matter. Choji just hugged me and gave me a kiss on the check before walking away. I blushed and walked back to Kiba and Shino.

I waited for the next battle to ensue, wondering whether or not Choji would be next. Instead it was Lee and Gaara. "YEAH!" I heard Choji cry. I smiled knowing he didn't want to fight, and Asuma was probably trying to tempt him with a free all you can eat barbeque. "Shut up," I heard Shika say while hitting Choji on the head. "Do you want everyone to know you're a chicken?" I laughed at that. When it came to fighting, Choji wasn't really into it. He was more into eating than anything else. I saw Gaara enter the ring and wait for an excited Lee. I knew Gaara was tough, but man, I would hate to go against Lee. The battle began and Lee went forward to strike Gaara. Lee was fast, but Gaara's sand was faster. "You can hit him Lee," I shouted. "Go for it!" It seemed impossible for Lee to even get close enough, but Gui sensei just smiled. "Come on Lee," I whispered. "Just hit him once for me please…"

"All right Lee," Gui called out to him. "Take 'em off!" Lee looked gratefully at Gui. "Thank you Gui Sensei," he shouted. Lee proceeded to take off some leg weights and dropped them to the ground. A huge resounding crash was made once they hit the ground, and everyone stood there wide eyed. "Gui you are too much," I heard Kakashi sensei say calmly.

"It's almost inhumanly possible to carry that much weight around," Shiranna said. "I don't know how that poor kid does it." Her wolf growled a bit and she nodded. "You're right Shiranui," she said. "No one should train a student like that. Lee isn't a machine, he's a person." I looked at her and then at her panting companion, realizing that they had a valid point; although it was a little scary at how the two could talk and understand each other like that.

Looking back to the fight, I saw Lee hit Gaara's head. I smiled; Gaara got what he deserved after what he said to me and I only wished that I had been the one that did it. I was still angry with Gaara and I sort of took pleasure in the fact Lee was able to pulverize him the way he was. Until Gui let Lee open his chakra gates. That was when I started to get worried. "Gaara," I whispered. Lee would probably kill him if he continued on the way he was. "Gaara," I screamed, when he hit the ground. I stood there frozen unable to tell if the match was over.

Gaara's POV

The match before mine was wonderful. The crimson red fluid that keeps us alive flowed from that girl's body and onto the floor. I wanted to spill more and satisfy the meaning of my existence. I just didn't intend to be beaten up by that ninja so badly. No one had ever been able to harm me before him. As I was falling to the ground one last time, I heard her voice scream my name.

"Gaara," Suki shouted in a worried voice. I couldn't understand it. She had been cheering the other one before hand, and now she was calling out my name? The look on her face was one of fear; but not fear of me. Suki seemed to fear for me, like she thought I was going to die or something. Then she looked at my opponent and her fear increased. I didn't like it, the way she was looking at him. She must fear me for what I am…I looked over to the one she stared at and used my sand to break his arm and leg. Before I could completely dispose of him, his sensei interfered. I wanted the boy dead…the way Suki was staring at him made my blood boil, and the sent of blood filled the air. I wanted to here my opponent scream for his life and torture him to death. Shukaku wanted to kill and so did I. I needed to kill someone, just to remind myself of my reason to exist, but the way that sensei looked at me, reminded me of my uncle before he tried to kill me…Images flew through my head and I could barely stand.

I went back to the landing after I was announced the winner. "Gaara," I heard someone say. I turned to see Suki standing there, looking at me angrily. "Suki, what are you doing over here," I asked slowly.

"You shouldn't have tried to kill him," she mumbled. "Lee can't be a ninja anymore after what you did to him!" She raised her hand and slapped me across the face. "You're a monster Gaara," she said before turning to go. I felt my face where she had hit me and glared at her. I was angry with her, but I didn't want to kill her. I guess I was more upset than anything else. I had a feeling of pain in my chest that I hadn't felt in nine long years. I just shook the feeling away and waited until the last match was over.

Much Later…

I was sitting on the roof of our hotel again looking at the night sky. It was a full moon, and Shukaku thirsted for blood. I knew it wouldn't be long before I couldn't control him. That was when I heard someone coming towards me. "It seems that you're awake," he said. "Pity, I would have much rather enjoyed killing you while you slept." It was the sound ninja that had defeated that fatso in the last match. "I wonder which is faster…your sand, or my sound?"

"Gaara," I heard someone shout. My eyes widened when I saw Suki rush towards the sound ninja for an attack. "Suki," I whispered. The sound ninja smiled and grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him, then put a kunai to her neck. "This the reason you're outside? She is a cutie, I can say that, but I didn't think she'd be your type," he said with a smirk. What was she doing here? I thought she wouldn't want to see me any longer…she must have come by to get her revenge after what I did to her friend. "What are you doing here," I shouted at her. "I told you that I don't want to see you again!"

"Having a little lovers quarrel are we? Poor dear, he doesn't seem to be happy with you anymore…you know, I could please you better than he could…" Suki stiffened as the hand wrapped around her waist moved down between her legs and he licked her ear. Anger filled me as I saw him violate her like that and my fists clenched. "Don't make a move or your girlfriend dies."

"His need for blood increases every full moon," I said. I felt my self transform into Shukaku and he killed the sound ninja. What I didn't want to do was hurt Suki, but I had to in the process. I quickly transformed back into myself and looked at Suki's body. Blood was all over her and she was barely breathing. Lifting her up slowly, she let out a very low moan. "G-Gaara," she whispered.

"Don't talk," I said, trying not to look at her. "You've lost a lot of blood." She shakily lifted her arm and grabbed my shirt. I looked down at her and saw that her eyes were starting to glaze over. She would die soon if I didn't get her to someone with medical ninjutsu. "I'm sorry," she said in a barely audible whisper. I was sort of astonished. What was she apologizing for? I had been the one that pushed her away and hurt her like this. Suki was barely breathing and now fainted. I had to get her somewhere now…it then hit me. That medical ninja at the exams...I felt like I had known her before, surely she had recognized me if I knew her. I didn't really know where she was, but I should probably try the place that masked ninja lived. They seemed fairly close; he could get Suki to her.

Good thing that ninja lived nearby, I had seen him go to his apartment before. I rushed to his place faster than I had ever gone before. Maybe it was because I felt responsible, or maybe it was because I wanted to apologize to her. Whatever the reason, I wanted her to live. I landed on a window ledge and looked inside for someone. There was a white wolf that looked at me through the glass. It cocked its head and then rushed off into another room. I didn't think that the dog would help but soon, the medical ninja ran towards the window and opened it. "Gaara," she whispered. She looked around outside for a moment and then at Suki. "Hand her over to me, gently. She's closer to death than she looks."

"She's not dead," I asked, watching her place Suki on a couch. The ninja shook her head. "Not yet, come inside before someone sees you out there and gets suspicious," she said in a harsh whisper. I ducked inside and shut the window behind me only to be pounced on by the wolf. I was surprised as she started to lick my face uncontrollably. "Shiranui," the ninja hissed. "Get off him. I know you're happy to see him after all these years, but we need to heal the Nara child first!" The animal let out a little whine then trotted back over to her master and sat down.

"How do you know me," I asked in a low voice.

"I'll answer you once I get her stabilized; now I need your help Gaara."

"What would you like me to do?"

"Down the hall, the second door to you're right, is the bathroom. I need you to get three clean towels from the closet. Under the sink is a bucket, fill it with hot water and get the white jar from the medicine cabinet above the sink." I did as told and watched her take off Suki's shirt and pants. I blushed as my eyes wandered up and down her body. Suki had a flat stomach, wide hips, and the loose shirts she wore didn't do justice to what was underneath. I looked away quickly, trying to forget what I had seen. I remembered Kankuro saying once that the girls that developed earlier sometimes had bigger chests than the ones that didn't. _Imagine__what__she__would__look__like__when__she__turns__18.__Now__that__would__be__something__to__see,_ Shukaku said. _Maybe__we__should__keep__her__alive__just__to__see__how__sexy__she__becomes__…_

Shut up, I thought. Suki's…she's not a toy. She's a person.

_Well__isn__'__t__that__something__different.__Since__when__did__you__not__want__to__toy__with__people?__This__girl__would__be__fun__to__toy__with,__just__imagine__it__…_Shukaku sent an image of Suki without any clothes on and I shook my head. Stop it, I shouted at him. That's not the way I think of her. Shukaku laughed. _Are__you__sure?__I__remember__you__having__a__dream__that__went__something__like__this__…__you__wouldn__'__t__remember__it__but__I__do._ Shukaku showed me an image that made me fall to the floor on my knees. I gripped my head with my hands as I saw myself holding Suki close to me, kissing her roughly with my hands roaming around her body. She seemed to be moaning as she wrapped her legs around my waist. When did I have this dream? Why would I be dreaming something like this? Lastly, why in the hell was I enjoying this dream? I didn't want to keep watching it, but at the same time I wanted to see where it was going.

"Gaara," I heard a voice say. "Don't listen to Shukaku right now; I need you to help me." I came back to reality and looked at the medical ninja. Her hand was on my shoulder and her wolf was lying next to me, growling. It looked like it was about to attack me. "She won't hurt you," the ninja said while going back to Suki. "Shiranui was letting me know that Shukaku was acting up. I need you to hold this towel on her stomach, remember to use some pressure." I did as told, but I still didn't understand how that medical ninja knew about me…It was like I had known her from a distant dream or something. "Gaara," she said. "Keep applying pressure; you're starting to daydream."

"Yeah," I said, looking back towards Suki. Her breathing was becoming normal again, but she was still in a lot of pain. The wolf sat next to me and licked my arm, trying to comfort me. "Hey Shiranna, are you still awake? I keep hearing voices," said a male voice coming down the hall.

"Crap," she said. "I was hoping he would stay asleep, but we woke him up anyway…" A man in pants came towards us with a mask on his face, but no shirt or shoes. It was that sensei I had seen earlier during the third exams. He looked at me coldly, with one eye hidden behind his forehead protector. "What's going on," he asked; his body tensing.

"Just go back to sleep Kakashi," Shiranna said. "Gaara just brought over a girl that needed some serious medical treatment."

"You expect me to fall back asleep on that thing you call a pull out couch? I'd rather spend the night in you're bed," he said. Shiranna glared at him and her dog lay down, trying to cover her ears. "Gaara, use this ointment to help stop the bleeding on her stomach. I can't get to it right now, Suki has lost a lot of blood and I'm trying to keep her heart stabilized," she said. "I don't want to continue this fight Kakashi, because now is really not the time!"

"The girl is that bad huh," he said.

"No Kakashi," Shiranna said sarcastically. "I'm making her heart beat and blood cells multiply faster just for the hell of it!"

"Don't get so upset," the one called Kakashi said. "Look, do you even know if she wasn't purposefully hurt by him?" He pointed at me and my blood boiled. "Do you think I wanted to hurt her," I shouted at him, getting up and clenching my fists. "I don't understand why I didn't want to, but I had to so I could save her from that bastard that tried to take advantage of her."

"Your bloodlust says otherwise," Kakashi mumbled. Sand particles floated around me, and I wanted to strike at that ninja with it full force. "Kakashi," came Shiranna's voice. "Either you just go back to bed and shut up like the lazy uncaring bum you are, or you can help me out like the kind handsome ninja I love." Kakashi sighed. "What do you need," he asked.

"More hot water for starters, and bandages," Shiranna answered. "I need you to hold her hand and talk to her Gaara."

"Why," I asked.

"Like I said before, people in this state need to hear a loved ones voice." I blushed and looked away. "Loved one," I asked. "Suki doesn't think of me that way…" Shiranna sighed and walked over to me. "Look, her heart's beating on its own again but she's still hurting. When she heard you yelling, it affected her greatly. Her heart raced on its own because she became afraid for your safety; Suki needs to know you're not in any danger anymore and that you're here for her."

"I wouldn't know what to say…" I felt sadness grow inside me; I was responsible for hurting Suki, so why would she still care about my safety? Shouldn't she be concerned for her own? I clutched my chest feeling a pain there I hadn't felt in nine long years. I hadn't felt like this since Yashamaru…what was this that I was feeling? I remember him saying that the only cure for this kind of pain was love, but no one would ever love me. So Suki was just like everyone else. Yet I still…"Just hold her hand then," Shiranna said, interrupting my thoughts. "You don't need to say anything. Just let her know you're there. I have to go see what's taking Kakashi so long…" I watched her get up and walk down the hall towards the bathroom. He was just coming out and she smiled. His arms wrapped around her waist, while hers slowly made there way around his neck. She kissed him threw his mask and he pulled her into a tight hug. It made me curious; did people who loved each other really do that to show their affection towards one another?

Walking over to Suki's unconscious body, I knelt beside her and held her hand like Shiranna had told me to. That was when I started to wonder; what was it like to kiss someone? So many people did it to those they love, but did it really mean anything? I had once heard Temari lecturing Kankuro about how a kiss should feel if the person really did care about you. Suki told me once that she cared about me, so that meant I would feel something special, right? I really shouldn't though; seeing as how I would be taking advantage of her, but then again…curiosity got the better of me and I pressed my lips against Suki's. "Nothing," I whispered after I pulled away. "Just soft and warm."

"It's better to kiss someone when they're awake and aware of it Gaara," a voice said with a small laugh. I felt a blush come to my face as Shiranna sat next to me. There was something different about her now. She seemed happy and hummed a bit as she bandaged Suki; not to mention there was now a fresh bruise on her neck. I shook my head and figured it was nothing really. "Is she going to be alright," I asked slowly. Shiranna nodded her head and continued to bandage Suki. "She'll be fine after a few days," she whispered. "Good thing she wasn't dead when you brought her here. It would have taken up a lot of chakra to summon back her soul."

"You can do that," I asked, looking at her.

"You still don't remember me at all do you," Shiranna mumbled without looking at me. "Just as well, you were only six years old at the time and I felt really bad about leaving you without telling you that I was going." Her wolf whined a bit and lay next to her side. "I don't understand," I said.

"I remember the first time I met you," she began. "You were sitting on a swing crying because the other children ran away from you that day. They were so scared of you, even though you just wanted to play with them. They called you names and a couple of them threw some rocks at you." I remembered now, like it was a distant memory coming back from the forgotten realms of your mind. She had stopped them all from throwing things at me and even healed the small cuts I had obtained. Of all the people I had known, she was the only one that ever stopped someone else from harming me, the only one that ever wiped away my tears, the only one that ever smiled at me with a loving look in her eyes. She had been much younger then, perhaps twelve or thirteen, but thinking back on it now, she was still the same person. "You were the one that would play with me when I was lonely, the one who would hold me close when I cried…like a mother does to her own child," I whispered, looking at her with wide eyes. "You never told me your name…" Back then I felt as though I could talk to her about everything and anything. I had felt safe around her. Even know I felt safe from others.

"I never could Gaara," she said. "I knew I wouldn't be staying in the sand village long, but you reminded me so much of someone I kept close to my heart. You reminded me of my sister's son. I don't know how you did; it was just something about you."

"You left me there waiting at the playground," I said in an angry tone. "I had brought you a gift with me because you were always bringing me things, but you never showed! I waited there for hours until Yashamaru came to get me." Sand surrounded her and started to crush her. I hated her for what she did to me. I thought I had finally found a friend but she ran away like all the others. "I'm sorry Gaara," Shiranna said. "I tried to go see you, but the man that had held me captive moved me to a new location. I tried to send you a message, but whenever I did the man would tear them up and say that I had no need for something like you; that friends were a waste of time and didn't really matter in the end. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, but I was moved so quickly."

"You expect me to believe such lies," I shouted as the sand continued to tighten. All she did was look at me, with sad apologetic eyes, she made me so angry. "I can't make you believe me Gaara," she whispered. "You would need to trust me like you did before, but seeing as how I betrayed that trust, I don't blame you for not believing me."

"What the…let go of her," Kakashi shouted as he rushed into the room. Shiranui got up and growled at him. It seemed as if she were telling him not to move one step closer. "Kakashi, stay out of this," Shiranna whispered. "I'm alright." Kakashi grew angry at her for telling him to stay put. "You want me to just stand here and watch the woman I love die? I thought I had lost you once before; I'm not going to watch helplessly again," he shouted at her. The look in his eyes was full of spite, but as she turned her head to look at him, his expression softened.

"Please Gaara," Shiranna said, looking back at me. "I'm asking you to forgive me." My sand loosened a little and her wolf trotted over to me and licked my free hand. I looked away from Shiranna and my sand retreated, causing her to fall to the floor in a heap. She coughed constantly and tried to get the air back into her lungs. "Thank you Gaara," she finally said.

"Thank God," Kakashi whispered as he knelt beside her and pulled her close to him. Shiranna smiled slightly as I stared curiously. "I don't understand," I said. "This love you two share."

"There are all different kinds of love Gaara," Shiranna explained. "There's the love you share with family, the love you share with your friends, and the love you share with someone special. The love you see here is that special kind."

"And here I thought it was that everyday garden variety kind of love," Kakashi said with a smile. Shiranna shook her head and elbowed him in the stomach lightly. "You can stay on that pull out couch in the guest bedroom tonight if you keep that up," she said with a laugh. Kakashi sighed and kissed her cheek. "Aw, that's not very nice after I apologized." I looked from the two of them to Suki. She was still sleeping, but her wounds were much better and her breathing seemed normal. She even seemed to smile a bit. "You know," Shiranna said. "Suki is a very interesting girl. She never judged anyone by what they looked like and I haven't seen her follow everyone else's thinking. Take her friends Choji and Lee for example. None of the other girls talk to Choji because he's chubby, but Suki looks past that and see's him for who he really is. As for Lee, she's been visiting him every day in the hospital just so he has a friend to talk to. Then there's you."

"What about me," I whispered. "I'm nothing more than a monster to everyone else."

"That's what I mean," Shiranna continued. "Just because you think everyone else might think you're a monster, doesn't mean she does too. I'm willing to bet that Suki cares about you for who you are." I stared at Shiranna and then looked back at Suki. She did have a point; Suki was different from most other people, but there was no way she would consider me a friend. I had hurt her and she had seen my true form. There was no way for her to befriend me now. "You should take her home Gaara," Shiranna said while dressing Suki again. "She'll be asleep for the rest of the night." I nodded, took Suki into my arms, and disappeared out the window.

I landed on the roof of her house, knowing that her brother would be awake by now. He cared deeply for her, and if he saw her in the state she was in…he'd try to kill me for sure. "What the hell did you do to her," I heard a voice behind me whisper. I sighed and turned to look at Suki's brother, Shikamaru. "I did nothing," I said. Her brother glared at me and looked at his sister's bandaged body. "Then what happened to her," he asked. I didn't answer him as my sand carried Suki from my arms over to his. "She tried to protect me from another ninja," I whispered. "Instead he was able to catch her and use her as a shield from my sand, but it didn't work as well as he planed. I brought her to the medical ninja that was at the exams."

"If I find out that you did something to her," Shikamaru said. I smirked at him. "You'll what," I asked looking deep into his eyes. "You'll kill me? I thought you'd be more of a rational thinker than that." Suki's brother let out a low growl and held his twin close. "Just stay away from her," he muttered as I began to walk away. "I never wanted to be near her in the first place," I said glaring at him. "She was the one that came to me, no matter how many times I tried to stay away." I leapt away back towards the hotel, knowing that if I was missing for too long that my sensei and siblings would look for me.


	7. Chapter 7

Shikamaru's POV

It was now a day before the exam and I was sitting in Naruto's hospital room playing shoji with Suki. She was much better now that her wounds had healed, but she hadn't spoken one single word since that night Gaara brought her back home. It was so hard to understand why she practically shut herself in our room everyday. Something was wrong with her, but every time I pressed the matter she'd just shove me away from her or ignore me completely.

"I say we set up another game," I said to her. We had gotten into another tie, which surprised me. When I had played with her before today, she'd just let me win each time. Last time she did that was when our cat died; so I knew she was deeply depressed. "Seems like you're feeling a bit better," I said with a smile. "You didn't let me win that time." Suki just rolled her eyes and looked over at Naruto's stirring body. "Hey," he mumbled. "Where am I?"

"The hospital," I answered. "They found you outside here unconscious."

"How long was I out?"

"Well tomorrow the exams start, so…"

"I was out that long," Naruto yelled while jumping out of bed in only his boxers. "Man where are my pants?" Suki shook her head and wrote down 'Lee' on a piece of paper. "Fine," I said. "You can go see him; I'll come get you when I'm done here." She nodded and left. "What's up with her," Naruto asked.

"Suki's just been in a strange mood for a while," I answered, lifting up the fruit basket we had brought for Choji. "Here, we got this for Choji, but the doctors said we couldn't give it to him."

"Did he overdo it or something," Naruto asked.

"Nah," I said. "He got indigestion from eating too much."

"You know what would be funny," Naruto said. "If we went to see Choji and ate all this in front of him."

"That's so evil," I whispered. "I like it." We were getting up to go see him, when I noticed that the sand in the timer stopped. "Wait a minute," I said, looking at the timer. "How can sand stop right in the middle like that."

"Maybe it clogged up," Naruto said. I shook my head. "No, Suki and I use it all the time so I know it works. Wait; there was that guy that controlled sand during the third exam. What was his name…"

"You mean Gaara," Naruto asked.

"Exactly," I said. "He was really weird. Like there was some kind of blood lust about him."

"Yeah, the way he battled Lee was crazy," Naruto added. "Didn't he say that he would kill Lee after the battle?"

"Yeah he…oh crap," I said.

"What?"

"Suki!" Naruto and I rushed from the room and into Lees. My premonition was true; there, in the center of the room, was Gaara. Suki was sitting on the floor at the foot of Lee's bed staring up at him. Gaara was wrapping his sand around Lee's sleeping body and I captured him with my shadow possession jutsu. "Like that," I asked while walking into the room. "That's my shadow possession jutsu. As of now, you're under my control." Gaara's sand fell and went back into his gourd. "Gaara," Suki whispered, with tears in her eyes; she was trying to get up and walk over to him. "I…"

"Suki," I said. "Don't move!" She looked at me, but listened to me at the same time. "What are you doing here anyway," I shouted. "I told you to stay away from my sister!"

"I didn't come here for her," Gaara said in his deep voice. "The fact that she was in here doesn't matter to me." Suki seemed hurt as she stared at Gaara. "Then what are you doing here," Naruto said.

"To feel alive," he answered.

"What are you…"

"Ever since I was little I found my reason to exist," Gaara began. "To kill others; until I'm the last alive."

"Why would you want to do that, what about the ones you love," Naruto shouted.

"When I was born I had the sand spirit Shukaku sealed inside me by my father the Kazekage," Gaara answered. "Everyone in the village feared me once they found out what I was. My father lavished me with material things and sheltered me from the outside world. For a time I thought that was love, but that's when I found out my own father ordered my death. I then found out that I should care only for myself, love only myself, and kill to keep myself alive. I have no friends or loved ones, only myself."

"What the hell is wrong with you," I shouted. Gaara's sand started moving again and I looked over at Naruto. He was in shock and gripping his stomach. "Naruto," I shouted again. "I need you to knock him out!" The idiot just stood there as Gaara's sand came towards us. "Now make me feel alive," Gaara shouted as the sand rushed towards us. I closed my eyes waiting for impact but nothing happened. I opened them slightly to see Suki, holding Gaara close to her. "Gaara," she whispered. She sounded like she was crying as Gaara just stood there wide eyed, his sand on the floor. "I…I'm sorry," Suki continued. "No one should go through their life without someone loving them. I don't know what I would do without my stupid brother…but I want you to know that I care about you. Please Gaara, let me be your friend…let me get to know you and care about you, because I like you…I like you a lot Gaara." Suki still held onto Gaara, but looked him in the eye. He just stared at her as she leaned forward.

Realizing what she was about to do, Gaara pushed her away forcefully and grabbed his head in pain. Suki hit her head on the edge of Lee's bed as she fell from the force of the push. Gaara let out a scream of pain while shaking his head and ran from the room when I released him from my shadow possession. "Suki," I said running over to her. She was crying silently as she looked up at me. "You okay?" She nodded her head and held onto her knees. "Come on, let's get you home." I held out my hand to help her up but she shook her head and stood on her own. "I'm going to go for a little walk first," she said. "I'll be home soon." Before she walked out I grabbed her and forced her to look at me.

"If you're going after him I swear," I said.

"I'm not," she said while looking away. "I just need to clear my head."

"What is wrong with you," I whispered. "It's like he broke your heart or something. What did he do?"

"It's not Gaara," she mumbled. "He didn't do anything to me. It's something I need to figure out for myself." I let go of Suki and watched her leave the room.

Suki's POV

I didn't really know where I was going; I just let my feet carry me there. When I stopped, I realized where I was. It was the field Gaara and I had looked up at the stars. I sat down on the ground and looked up at the sky. The sun was setting and gave the village a heavenly glow. "What's wrong with me," I growled as I fell back onto the hard ground. "Why do I feel like this?" I didn't understand this feeling in my heart. Ever since that night Gaara turned into that thing and almost killed me, I've felt something.

Shika had taken me to one of the best medical ninjas to remove the bandages. Her name was Shiranna, I had recognized her from the exam. She told me that Gaara brought me to her so I'd live. I would have bled to death if he hadn't. The main thing that was bugging me was what she said before I left. _"__You__know,__"_ her words repeated in my head once more. _"__Gaara__kissed__you__when__you__were__sleeping__on__my__couch.__It__seems__he__likes__you__more__than__you__think.__"_

I blushed, thinking of Gaara pressing his lips against mine. My heart suddenly pounded when I thought of it. When I was holding him in the hospital, I almost kissed him myself. I wondered what it would feel like, if he would even let me. He didn't; instead he pushed me away and ran off. I wasn't lying when I told him I liked him. I didn't know why I liked him, I mean I hadn't even known him that long and yet…"Argh, this is so confusing," I shouted out to the world as I sat up.

"What's so confusing," asked a voice. I looked behind me and saw Neji sitting in the tree behind me. "Forget it," I said. I was still mad at how much he had hurt Hinata, even if I still had a crush on him. He smiled and jumped down from the tree as I looked away with a small blush. "Fine," he said while sitting next to me.

"Who told you that you could sit next to me," I said glaring at him.

"It's a free country isn't it?"

"Touché," I said. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Not much. I just like to come here sometimes to watch the birds," he whispered. "I guess you could call it a hobby or something." This was surprising; Neji opening up to me like that? What happened to the old Neji, the one that ignored me and glared at me? Now, he was just looking at me, no malice, just kindness. It was weird. "Are you okay Suki," he asked. "You're just staring at me like something's on me or something…"

"It's nothing," I said, quickly looking away with a blush. "Nothing; trust me." Neji let out a laugh and shook his head. "What," I asked still trying not to look at him.

"Nothing," Neji answered. "You just look so cute when you blush." I jumped up and backed away until I hit the tree behind me. I was officially weirded out as Neji looked at me confused. "Okay," I shouted in a shaky voice. "Who are you? I know you're not the Neji _I_ know."

"What are you talking about," Neji asked.

"The Neji I know isn't like this," I said. "He's never nice to me, he hasn't talked to me for a few weeks, and he'd never ever call me cute!"

"Maybe," Neji said in a sort of angry voice as he got up and walked over to me. "He's trying to be nicer to you, feels bad for ignoring you, and he's liked you for a long time but was never able to tell you because he was afraid to tell you because you might reject him!" Neji was now right in front of me, glaring at me. "Eh," I asked in a squeaky voice. Neji's look softened as he brushed away hair from my face. "I've been trying to tell you," he whispered. "But something always got in the way, or destiny told me it was wrong to tell you."

"Like what," I asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist. Neji smiled and looked me in the eye. "There was that time I wanted to tell you when you were watching a movie with Hinata," Neji whispered in my ear. "I purposefully sat next to you on the couch so I could whisper how I felt in your ear. Before I could muster the courage to do it, Hinata's younger sister dragged me away to play a game with her." I blushed as Neji nipped at my ear. "Then there was the time your brother 'accidentally' pushed me off the swing I was on when I was nine. You were on the other one next to me; somehow he found out and got angry."

"You've liked me since you were nine," I asked. Neji nodded and smiled. "Even longer than that," he said. "I remember the first time I met you. You were playing with Hinata…I turned to my father and asked him if angels really existed. I've never met someone so beautiful in my life. I like you a lot Suki…maybe I even…" My heart pounded as his lips came closer to mine. "Wait," I said just as his lips were about to brush against mine. "I'm still mad at you…for what you did to my best friend. Hinata and I have been good friends since we were three, so I don't think this is such a good idea." Neji nodded slightly and pushed away from the tree, looking upset. He turned to leave, but I grabbed him by the wrist. "Wait Neji, I think that you should know," I whispered. "I really like you too; I have for a long time."

Neji turned to look at me and looked surprised. "Suki," he whispered. Neji grabbed me and pulled me close again. His lips were about to crash against mine, but I turned my head so he kissed my cheek instead. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "It's just that…I'd rather not right now. I don't understand why you would hurt Hinata so much." Neji didn't hear the last part, seeing as he had let go of me and walked away with a hurt look on his face. I kicked the tree out of frustration. I couldn't understand what my heart was trying to tell me about Gaara and Neji. For some reason, I wanted to be with Gaara, but I really, really liked Neji and he was the one I wanted to be with before I even met Gaara so... I sighed and walked home, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight because of all the excitement.

The Next Day…After Naruto and Neji's Fight…

I rushed down to the recovery room to see if Neji was alright. As I ran down the stairs and rounded the corner I crashed into someone coming from the recovery room. Falling down, I looked up to see the head of the Hyuga clan staring down at me. "I'm very sorry Lord Hyuga," I stammered while getting up and brushing myself off. "I didn't mean to bump into you like that. I just came down to see if Neji was…"

"Neji is fine," the head of the Hyuga clan said. He started to walk away but stopped for only a moment. "Seeing as you've been childhood friends with him Suki, I think he'd be rather happy to see you; and Suki, I know that Neji and you both have liked one another for a long time. I'm not against the idea of the two of you having a relationship, in fact I was hoping the two of you might become more than friends. I love him like my own son, and I've come to think of you as another daughter. I just want you both to take good care of one another." I nodded and watched him continue to walk away. I looked toward the room Neji was in and rushed in. "Neji," I said.

Neji had been staring out the window and looked toward me when I ran in. He was surprised that I was there and even more surprised when I flew into his arms. "I'm sorry," I whispered into his chest. "I never knew that something like that happened back then. I know your father was a very nice man, and I always thought he was a wonderful person…It's not right for something like that to happen in a…"

"Apparently it was my father's decision," Neji said. "He wanted to break away from his destiny and to do that he died."

"You still resent the head family don't you," I asked. Neji shook his head. "No, not really; Suki I think I should tell you something," he said.

"What is it," I asked as he let me go and turned away from me.

"It's just that…I have to follow a certain destiny and you do as well. I feel that my destiny says we shouldn't be together. That's why I ignored you all the time but I still have feelings for you."

"Neji," I said in a slightly aggravated voice. "Can't you just throw destiny out the window for once? All you go on about is your destiny and I'm sick of it! For once I'd like you to just do what you want instead of questioning destiny!" Neji looked at me with surprise and amazement in his eyes. "I don't know how I could Suki." I let out an aggravated sigh and stomped over to him. "I know how you could," I whispered before pressing my lips against his. Neji's eyes widened for a second, but soon closed them and kissed back. "See," I whispered pulling away.

"I don't think I'm quite convinced yet; you're going to have to persuade me more," he said softly before claiming my lips again. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his arms snaked around my waist. Neji caressed my lips with his warm tongue, begging desperately to let him enter. I smirked a bit and denied it. I was a bit of a tease, and Neji wasn't going to have any of it. One of his hands left my waist and squeezed my rear in a harsh manner. This surprised me, making my mouth opened slightly to let out a gasp, and Neji took his chance. His tongue lightly caressed mine and I felt a little shaky. I didn't really understand this feeling he was giving me, but I liked it, a lot. I didn't want him to pull away, but we did need some air. "N-Neji," I whispered as he pushed me against the wall. His lips lightly skimmed my neck, planting light kisses where he could. I felt shivers go up and down my spine when he nipped at a certain spot. "Suki," he whispered in my ear before nipping at the lobe. "I want to…well I was wondering if you…that is if you wanted to…"

"Just take a deep breath and tell me," I said softly while brushing some hair out of his face. Neji kissed me softly again before continuing. "I really like you a lot Suki and I wanted to know if you would consider…being my girlfriend?" My eyes widened a bit; I didn't ever think Neji would ask me that, even though he told me that he liked me. "I don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that," I mumbled. "Yeah, Neji, I will." Neji smiled and kissed me again. "Glad to hear it," he said after pulling away.

"Tenten might be jealous though," I said with a laugh.

"If I wanted to be with Tenten, I'd be here with her instead of you. I don't find her very attractive or nice." I slowly nodded as Neji's lips crashed against mine once more. I kissed back, but Neji suddenly pulled away as someone entered the room. I looked over to see Tenten standing there with a worried look on her face. "Neji, you did really great," she said with a smile. "I never thought Naruto could beat you like that." Neji just glared at her with his signature glare as she walked closer to us. "I was hoping to be alone with you for a little while longer," he whispered while I blushed. Tenten shot me a glare that could kill seeing as I was still in Neji's arms. He held me closer in a protective manner and placed a hand on the back of my head, making me lean onto his chest. My blush deepened as Tenten clenched her fists in rage. "What is it that you want Tenten," Neji asked coldly.

"You don't have to be so mean Neji," she said looking at him in a hurt manner. "I only came here to see if you were alright."

"Don't I look alright," Neji answered. Tenten seemed like she was going to cry then her face hardened. "I should get going," I whispered pulling away from Neji. "Shikamaru will start to worry if I don't." Neji nodded and pulled me in for another sweet kiss. "I'll see you later," he whispered before letting me go. "Don't get hurt in your fight alright? Or I'll have to intervene and protect you."

"Why would you," I asked with a smile. "I'm pretty sure I can handle myself."

"Because I don't want you to get hurt; I'll be worried sick if you ended up in here with me unconscious." My smile grew and I shook my head. "I'm tougher than I look you know," I said. Neji smiled at me and watched as I left.

I felt like I was on cloud nine because of what happened with Neji. I smiled and walked over to Shika just as Naruto appeared next to us. "Apparently Shikamaru is next," Naruto said with a grin. I looked at the grimace on my twin brother's face. "Man what a drag," Shika said. "Sasuke was supposed to be next but he's not here yet, and that guy Kankuro just withdrew from his fight…I think I should just withdraw too." Just before I could argue with Shika, Naruto pushed him into the battle arena. I looked at my brother laying face up, looking more bored than upset. I just sighed and laughed. "Well Shika," I shouted at him. "Gonna get up and fight her or will you be chivalrous and let her beat the crap out of you?"

"Dream on," Shika said. "I wish I was a cloud…just floating lazily in the sky without a care in the world…" The crowd was getting restless and started throwing things at Shikamaru. I shook my head and picked up the soda can that I had gotten earlier and threw it at him. It hit him square between the eyes and left a huge red mark. I smiled as he glared at me. "Do it Shika," I shouted. "Get your lazy butt up and show these losers what the Nara clan can do!"

"You're supposed to stop the crowd Suki, not egg them on," Shikamaru shouted to me. "Stupid troublesome good for nothing girl…" I let out a low growl and gripped the railing in front of me. "Arrogant pineapple head," I yelled back at him. "You're just asking for a beating; you better win this fight! That way I can beat the crap out of you myself!" The crowd had stopped throwing things at Shika as he stood up and glared at me. "It's on now little sister," he said. "Get down here so I can show you a thing or two!"

"Nara," the proctor yelled. "Stop arguing and get ready to fight or you'll be disqualified!" Shikamaru let out a growl and turned to his opponent. "Nyah-nyah," I said while sticking out my tongue.

"That goes for you as well Ms. Nara," the proctor shouted at me.

"Hmph," I mumbled while crossing my arms. "Hard ass." Naruto was laughing his head off from my argument with Shikamaru as Shino walked over to me. "So," he said. "Whoever wins this fight will be your opponent." I nodded. "Yeah, but I don't really want to fight that girl. She's a tough one."

"It seems to me that you have the advantage," Shino said.

"How," I asked.

"Well for one thing, she might not have used all the techniques last time, and anything new she learned might be shown here. You also have the added advantage of chakra, seeing as hers will be depleted greatly from fighting your brother."

"That's true…I just hoped that Shika would win."

"Worried about his pride?"

"No, I just want to be the one that beats him. That way I can rub it in his face later," I said with an evil smile. I could have sworn I heard Shino chuckle at my statement. "Why would you do something that mean," he asked. "It doesn't seem like you." I gritted my teeth and pounded my fists together. "See, Shika and I like to compete, and we always tie in games of shoji and go, so I want to show him I can beat him in a competition." Shino nodded as we watched the rest of the battle. Shikamaru was doing great, and he could win this. "Ha," I heard one of the sand shinobi say. "Temari will win this for sure. This guys a pushover."

"Hey," I said glaring at the one with purple lines all over his face. "Shikamaru may be lazy but he's smarter than almost everybody else in the leaf village! I know he'll win this match!" The guy faced me and grinned. I suddenly realized that it was that guy Kankuro. "Well if it isn't the lovely Suki," he gushed. "When you left earlier I thought you left for good. I thought you got too scared to battle; I wouldn't blame you though. There are a lot of tough opponents here."

"This coming from the guy that withdrew from his own battle," I growled. "I still say Shika will win."

"Then let's make a bet. If he wins, I'll give you my blessing and let you go out with Gaara, but if he doesn't," Kankuro said walking over to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. "You; me; dinner; tonight." I felt the arm around my waist lower as his hand grabbed my butt. My eyes widened as he smirked at me. "No way would I accept that," I shouted, pushing him away and blushing.

"Afraid you might lose," Kankuro asked.

"No," I said. "I just don't think it's alright for you to drag Gaara into this…" I looked over at Gaara and felt the blush deepen. When he looked towards me, I quickly looked away, trying to make him think I was watching the battle the whole time. "Fine," Gaara said before looking away again. "If her brother wins, I'll go out tonight with Suki." I was surprised and sort of excited. I then shook my head and shuddered. "I can't do that to you Gaara, besides," I muttered. "I already have a boyfriend." Naruto's jaw dropped to the ground and Shino started to cough as if he had choked on something. "Since when," Naruto shouted.

"Since I went to see Neji after your battle," I whispered looking down at the ground with a huge blush. Jeez, I was starting to act like Hinata…"Its okay," Gaara said. "As long as Shikamaru wins you at least know that I wouldn't lay a hand on you. I don't see a problem." I felt my head start to spin as my face started burning up. "Okay," I said. "I guess I'll accept."

"Good," Kankuro said. "It's settled." Just as Kankuro said that, Shikamaru captured Temari in his jutsu. "Yeah Shika," I shouted as they walked to the center of the ring. "Looks like I win." Kankuro stood there with his mouth open, unable to believe his eyes. "I don't believe it," he whispered.

"Well believe it," Naruto shouted as Shikamaru made Temari raise her arm in defeat. I smiled inwardly. Now I could battle him when it was my turn. "I withdraw," Shikamaru said. I looked at him amazed. "My chakra's depleted and I only have about two or three minutes left before the jutsu breaks. What a drag…" I stood there as Kankuro laughed. "I guess I'll see you at seven then," he said with a smile. I felt my body tense as Naruto and I jumped down into the ring to deal with Shikamaru. I ran towards him and started to pound at his chest. "You stupid," I yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you? You won! You shouldn't have given up so easily!"

"What the hell has you in such a fit," Shika asked in a bored tone. I was so wrapped up in trying to kill my brother Naruto had to hold me back and explain the situation. "Why the hell would you accept such a stupid bet," Shikamaru shouted at me. "Are you nuts or did Dad drop you on the head when you were a baby?"

"I think it was you he dropped on the head," I yelled back. "What kind of idiot wins a battle and then withdraws?" Naruto was having a real hard time holding me back now; even though his heels were dug into the ground, I was still pulling him forward to lunge myself at my twin. "Let me just knock him out Naruto," I growled. "Just one punch and he'll be dead." Naruto was now using his chakra to hold me back. "I don't think violence is the answer Suki," he said. "Maybe we should just get back up to the waiting area; this crowd is starting to get ugly again…"

"Alright," the proctor said. "Seeing as Sasuke Uchiha hasn't arrived on…" A bunch of leaves started to swirl in the arena as Kakashi and Sasuke appeared. "I hope we're not too late," Kakashi said.

"Kakashi," someone in the audience screamed. "What the hell took you so long? I'm gonna kill you when you get up here!" Kakashi just sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Oh Shiranna," he whispered as a barrage of kunai's came flying at him, only missing him by mere centimeters. "You always did have a hot temper…"

"Least you're the one dating her," the proctor said with wide eyes as one of the kunai's embedded itself right in front of his feet. "She's really pissed at you this time." Kakashi let out a chuckle. "She's only angry because I haven't seen her in six weeks," he said. "I didn't tell her how long I would be gone either."

"You have the guts of a lion," the proctor whispered. "I don't know how she puts up with you sometimes…"

"She loves me too much, that's how. Besides, she's a fireball in bed after we have a fight. So, has Sasuke been disqualified yet or…?"

"You got lucky. We even postponed the match for you to get here. I also didn't need to know that about Shiranna."

"That's good."

"Hey Suki," Sasuke said as Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Oh," I said as Naruto let me go and stood next to me. "Hey Sasuke, what's up?"

"Not much," he said with a smirk. "Come down here to wish me luck?"

"Sure, good luck," I said. "I think this'll be a real challenge. I hope you do well."

"Thank you," Sasuke said. "Although that wasn't exactly how I thought you would wish me luck." I was sort of confused as Sasuke came closer to me. "What do you mean?" Sasuke's smirk widened as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. "I mean this," he whispered before placing his lips on mine. I was surprised at this but even though Sasuke was showing a lot of enthusiasm, I didn't kiss back. I was angry that he took advantage of me like this. It's not right to do that to someone and after Sasuke pulled away, I glared at him to show my disapproval. "I know you've wanted me to do that for a while," he whispered in my ear.

"I'm not like all the other girls Uchiha," I muttered. "I don't want to hurt you're image but I don't like you at all." Sasuke's smirk widened. "That so?"

"Yes," I growled, while my fists clenched. "I like Neji, not you."

"You'd rather be with him, a Hyuga branch member, than with me, the head of the Uchiha's? Someone like you, who is the prime of her clan, would rather have the children of a slave instead of the children of a leader?" I wanted to punch Sasuke in the mouth for what he said, but I just turned around and walked over to Naruto and an angry looking Shikamaru. Shika could tell I was just as angry and we started to walk up the stairs. "He had no right," Naruto whispered. Shika looked at him and shook his head. Shika was smart enough to understand that I wasn't in the mood to talk about what Sasuke had done just yet, but sadly Naruto wasn't that bright. "I'm just saying he didn't have to do that," he said loudly. I lunged towards Naruto with a kunai in my hand. "Just shut up," I shouted pushing him against the wall and pressing the kunai to his throat. "I don't want to talk about it at all!" I felt Shikamaru's hand on my shoulder and gestured for me to hand him the kunai. He knew that when I was angry, that it wasn't a good time to make me either a) angrier, or b) sympathize with me right after I was angered. "Come on Suki," Shikamaru said in a soothing tone. "Just leave him alone." I let out a frustrated growl and put the weapon away while Naruto stared at me, freaking out. He opened his mouth but Shikamaru interrupted him. "If you say anything Naruto, she will make you regret it for the rest of your life."

"But," he started.

"Just shut the hell up." Naruto listened as we walked up the stairs and heard some shouting. All three of us stood still in fear, as a ninja from another nation came running out towards us followed closely by sand. "Gaara," I muttered under my breath. These guys had had to have provoked him in some way to get him to kill them. The ninja's screams echoed throughout the corridor and a sickening crunching sound was heard. Shikamaru, Naruto, and I just stood there, unable to breathe as Gaara's footsteps came closer. He just walked past us like nothing had happened. Shika had tensed and Naruto was frozen in fear. I couldn't find the courage to move at all. I wanted to go to Gaara and ask if he was alright or if he was hurt.

Gaara stopped at the landing and looked up at me. I felt his sand wrap around my hand as if to hold it in a gentle manner. His eyes made my heart pound like a drum. Instead of hate and anger, I saw sadness and longing. It made me feel as though I had betrayed him in some way. I then felt sand start to caress my left cheek and I put my hand up to it. "I'm sorry," I mouthed. I didn't know why I had said that to him, or why I even wanted to say it. I was about to take another step towards him when Naruto grabbed my other arm. "Don't Suki," he said. "This guy's out to kill someone again." I shook my head and tried to rip my arm from Naruto's grip. "Let her go," Shikamaru shouted. "I told you last time to leave her alone!" I now tried to fling myself towards Gaara, in attempt to rush over to him, but my stupid brother held my by the waist and wouldn't let go. "Let me go," I said in a threatening tone.

"No way Suki," Shika said. "I'm not going to let you get yourself killed while I'm around!" I couldn't understand it, but my heart ached to be near him…I wanted him to hold me again, like he had before. I struggled against my brothers and Naruto's grip on me as the sand retreated back to his guard. Gaara's eyes went back to being angry and it seemed as though he had a blood lust about him. I watched helplessly as he turned and walked the rest of the way into the arena.


	8. Chapter 8

Gaara's POV

I was angry at Kankuro for volunteering me to go out with Suki if she won the bet they made, but at the same time…I wanted to. I didn't understand it but I wanted to be around Suki for just a while longer. Once we went through with our plan, I wouldn't be able to see her anymore. Even if I did she would hate me, and I didn't want her to. I watched Suki jump down from the waiting area into the arena to yell at her brother for losing. "Gaara," Kankuro said. "I didn't think you'd want to go out with her; you dog!"

"I only did it because a girl like her shouldn't go out with someone like you," I stated while glaring at him. Kankuro didn't say anything more, but I could tell he was confused as to why I would actually care about that. Generally I didn't, but Suki was a different matter. Temari was back and gave me an astonished look after Kankuro told her what I had said. She seemed to realize something and shook her head. "Gaara," she said. "You know that we can't get personally involved with anyone right?"

"What makes you think that I care for her," I shouted. "I'd rather watch her blood pour from her body instead of…" I couldn't finish. I didn't want to kill Suki; I wanted to hold her, touch her, and even kiss her again. What was this feeling I had for her? Temari nodded and looked away again. At least she believed me for the time being. I looked down to see Suki being kissed by that Uchiha person. I felt anger rise in me and Shukaku cackled. _Seems__like__she__is__everyone__'__s__girl,_ he said. _I__bet__everyone__here__has__had__a__taste__of__her.__Only__we__haven__'__t__had__a__taste__…__such__a__pity.__I__'__d__love__to__taste__her__blood__though,__it__must__be__good._

No, I thought. I don't want to…

_Just look at him though, he's enjoying this. He wants her, and he's going to get it whether she likes it or not. If you wanted her so much, why didn't you do what he's doing; take her. You want her; I know you do._

I won't be like him. I don't want to have her hate me. My head ached and my heart pounded. I was so confused; I couldn't understand any of this. _Show__him__a__lesson__then.__Show__him__that__he__shouldn__'__t__touch__your__woman._

I will, I thought, while ignoring the last part. No one should take advantage of anyone. I turned around and started down towards the arena. Two ninja's stopped me, saying that I had to lose the match so they're lord could win a bet. I was too angry with that Uchiha and I knew Shukaku craved blood…in fact I wanted to kill someone myself. These two seemed like a good warm up before the match. My sand poured from the gourd on my back and attacked one of the ninjas. He screamed as the sand crushed him completely. The other one had tried to run, but my sand was to fast for him. It grabbed him and pulled him back into the dark hallway. Once his screams finally subsided, I walked out and saw right in front of me, Suki. She was there with her brother and that loud mouth blond that had won the fight before Temari's. I kept a straight face and walked past them all, but stopped at the landing to look up at Suki again. Her beautiful brown eyes were full sadness. My sand flowed upward and latched onto her hand. I wanted to hold her hand myself and touch her cheek. As if my sand new what I was wishing, another stream of sand rested on her left cheek.

'I'm sorry,' she mouthed. She touched my sand and looked like she was about to cry. I wanted to hold her close to me and let her cry. Suki tried to walk towards me but she was held back by her brother and the blond haired boy. She struggled to get out of there grip, but she couldn't pry herself loose. "I told you last time to leave her alone," her brother shouted at me. I glared at him and then looked back at Suki. "Let me go," Suki shouted.

"No," her brother said. I felt angry again. Suki just kept struggling to come closer to me. Why couldn't I just…just hold on to her for a few seconds? Would it really be that horrible to do that? He thought I was going to kill her…couldn't he figure out that I could have done it at any given time? The reason I didn't kill her was because I didn't want to kill her. _You__still__think__she__doesn__'__t__have__some__sort__of__Genjutsu__over__you?__You__'__ve__never__acted__like__this__before__Gaara,_ Shukaku said. _This__girl__is__just__making__you__think__these__things__for__her__own__benefit.__She__made__the__Uchiha__kiss__her;__she__likes__to__be__the__center__of__attention.__I__bet__she__has__every__boy__her__age__under__her__spell._

Maybe so, I thought. It still doesn't change the fact that I…

_Just get over her already. She doesn't care about you; no one does. Everyone hates you Gaara._

You're right, I thought. How could I have expected someone like her to understand me… I reached the arena and looked up at my father, who was sitting next to the Hokage. I could feel him looking down at me and I felt myself burn with hatred. Looking away from my father, I stared at the Uchiha's smug look. I could still see Suki in his arms; his lips touching hers as he held her close to him. I glared at him and his smirk grew. "Begin," the proctor shouted. Sasuke Uchiha came forward with an attack and I dodged it, making my sand into a giant cocoon. I was safe inside it, concentrating on making him bleed to death. "I know I made you taste some horrible blood earlier mother," I whispered to my sand. "But now I'll give you some nice blood." I began to chant as something came through the shell. I felt something warm and wet trail down my shoulder. "What is this mother," I whispered. "What is this feeling?" I put a hand on my shoulder and realized what it was. "BLOOD," I screamed. "IT'S MY BLOOD!"

Suki's POV

"Kakashi Sensei," Naruto cried as we all rushed to the stands. I watched the battle ensue as Naruto explained what happened with Gaara to his sensei. I was worried about Gaara for some reason. I had a feeling that something was going to happen. "Suki," someone said. "Don't worry." I looked over and saw Shiranna with her dog, Shiranui. I smiled as the dog barked and sat in front of me. Patting her head, she wagged her tail and licked my other hand. "Who said I was worried," I asked with a blush. I could tell Shiranna was smiling and my blush deepened. "Gaara won't go down so easily," she whispered.

"I just have a bad feeling about this," I mumbled. Shiranna let out a sigh and shook her head. "You know," she said. "I think that if anything did go wrong with Gaara and he started to transform again, that you could slow the transformation."

"How," I asked. Shiranna smiled sweetly. "He told me about a week ago that you had helped stop the transformation once," she answered. "He said that you were holding him close to you. When you did that it helped suppress the demon inside him; but I think you're the only one that can do that."

"Why?"

"Because you're the only other person besides me to look upon Gaara as a person and not a monster. You believe the thing inside him is the monster, not him. Gaara needs to know that there is at least one person out there that cares about him."

"How do you know he won't take advantage of the situation," I scoffed. Shiranna frowned. "Gaara's not the kind of person to do that," she said. "He's shy and misunderstood." I nodded slowly. It was wrong of me to say that, because Gaara really wasn't the kind of person that would do such a thing.

"I really didn't think it was right for Sasuke to do that to you," Shiranna whispered. I looked at her and smiled a bit. "It's not okay for someone to take advantage of someone else." Shiranna was looking off into the distance, as if off in some dream. "Are you sure about that," Kakashi said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Shiranna's waist. I watched her smile and turned to look at him. "Yes," she said. "It's not right for someone to take advantage of someone else."

"Is that so," Kakashi said with a smirk. "Then why did you practically jump me when I came up here? I'd say that was taking advantage of me since I almost fell down the stairs."

"What do you expect," Shiranna said with a laugh. "I haven't seen you in over a month and I didn't know where you were!" I could tell Kakashi was smiling even more as he pulled Shiranna closer to him. She kissed him on the lips and smiled back at him. "I want to take you right here and now," Kakashi whispered in her ear before kissing her again.

"Yuck," Naruto said. "How can you two do something like that in public?" I giggled a bit as Shiranna shook her head. "Easy," Kakashi said. "Like this." He pulled Shiranna in for another kiss and Naruto gave them a disgusted look. "And these guys are supposed to be two of the best ninja's in the village? Give me a break," Shikamaru muttered.

"That's because you haven't seen them fight together," Naruto mumbled. "Trust me when I say it's scary."

"That it is," said a cheery voice. I looked over to see Lee with Gui Sensei walking towards us. "It's also like watching a dance."

"What do you mean by that Gui Sensei," Lee asked as I walked over to give him a hug. Gui smiled and gave Lee a thumbs up. "I mean that Kakashi and Shiranna are able to read each other's moves easily; the two are so coordinated that it makes you think they've planed the fight out when in fact they're just winging it."

"You're kidding," I said. Shiranna blushed a bit and Kakashi rolled his eyes as Gui continued. "I'm not; these two are a deadly combination."

"What's with the compliments Gui," Kakashi asked. Gui looked at Kakashi and then at Shiranna. "I didn't say I was complimenting you Kakashi," he answered. "Shiranna is the one that does the most work and she's also the stronger of you two. I only wish she'd have chosen me instead of you." Kakashi just rolled his eyes again and put an arm around Shiranna. "Um, Kakashi Sensei," Naruto said. "What about Sasuke?"

"Don't worry about him," Kakashi said. "There's a reason as to why I always insisted on training him myself." Naruto looked crestfallen and angry at the same time. "So he's your favorite student," Naruto yelled at his teacher. "That's why you've taken all your time to train him instead of me!"

"I don't have a favorite student Naruto," Kakashi said with a sigh. "It's just that you wouldn't be able to use this technique as well as Sasuke would. You're able to use much more chakra than he is."

I watched the battle ensue, and was amazed by Sasuke's new move. It was called the 'Chidori'. It literally meant a thousand birds…I watched as the Chidori pierced Gaara's sand. After it did a horrible scream issued from inside the shell. "Gaara," I said in a small voice, before I started to feel sleepy. "Release," I whispered just before I hit the ground. There was a lot of noise but I couldn't really do anything until the Genjutsu stopped making my head spin. For some reason I was fairly susceptible to them.

After a minute or two, I got back up and looked around. Almost everyone in the stadium was in a sleeping Genjutsu, except for a few ninja's. "This isn't good," Sakura said as she came over. I nodded at her and I heard Shiranui growl deeply. "Oh God," I heard Shiranna whisper. "It can't be…no…it isn't…it's…" She took a step back and I realized she was extremely frightened. Shiranna screamed as she looked up to were the two Kage's had been. Kakashi looked at her as she pointed upwards to a strange, pale man with long black hair holding a kunai to the Hokage's throat. "Sakura," Kakashi said as he turned to her. "Wake Naruto and Shikamaru up; you're going to follow Sasuke with them and Suki." Sakura nodded and woke Naruto up just as Kakashi summoned a small pug with a weird cape on its back. "Hey Kakashi," it said. "It's been awhile."

"Hello Pakun," Kakashi said. "I need you to track someone for me." Pakun looked around and saw Shiranui sitting there growling at him. "Well hello there beautiful," Pakun said. "Are you going to help track everyone as well?" Shiranna shook her head and bit her thumb then drew a line of blood from Shiranui's nose to the base of her tail. "Not this time Pakun," Shiranna said. "Demon Form!" I was amazed as the wolf grew about ten times its size and growled menacingly. "I knew I smelled a battle coming when I woke up this morning," Shiranui said. I almost fainted after she spoke. "Did she just…"

"Yeah," Shiranna said, looking a little embarrassed. "But only in this form."

"She can do that and more," Pakun said. Shiranui growled at and turned to look at him. "Listen you pathetic sack of dog meat," she said. "Now's not the time to start with me."

"Feisty today are we?"

"I swear Pakun if Kakashi didn't need you right now I would turn you into my own personal chew toy!"

"What is it that you need me for anyway," Pakun asked, turning back to Kakashi. Kakashi sighed and explained to Pakun what he needed him to do while I kicked Shikamaru in the back of the head. "What the hell," he shouted as he sat up.

"Come on," I said. "We've got a mission; and stop pretending to be trapped in a Genjutsu. You have an IQ over 200, you're not that dumb!"

"What a drag," Shikamaru said as he lay back down. That's when Pakun bit him and forced him to get up.

We rushed off with a couple of hold up's, but Naruto, Sakura, Pakun, and I found Gaara and Sasuke. Sasuke was just about down and out when we arrived, while Gaara was turning into the demon I had seen at least two weeks ago. "Gaara," I whispered while looking at him.

"I should tell you," Pakun said. "I'm not exactly the fighting kind of dog." Sakura became mad and I glared at him. "Why did they give us the small fry and not the wolf demon," I shouted.

"That hurts girly," Pakun said just as he ran off to hide. Sakura hovered over Sasuke not really knowing what to do, but if I had been her, I would have kicked him in the face for what he did to me earlier. I kept glaring at Sasuke until I heard Gaara speak. "What are you doing here," he growled.

"We're here to rescue our friend," Naruto shouted at him.

"How pathetic!" Gaara yelled as he jumped towards us with his transformed arm outstretched towards us. He was aiming for Sasuke but Sakura jumped in front of him and glared at Gaara. "Get out of my way," Gaara shouted as he slammed Sakura against a tree and held her there. That was when he began to shout and grip his head in pain. It was like he was trying to forget something. Some sort of painful memory…I heard Shiranna's voice echo in my head then. _You__'__re__the__only__other__person__besides__me__that__sees__Gaara__as__a__real__person__…__he__needs__to__know__that__at__least__one__person__out__there__cares__about__him._ Without thinking, I ran towards Gaara and threw my arms around his neck, holding him close. "Gaara," I whispered. "Please don't do this…it's not like you."

"You don't know me," he muttered back. I swallowed hard and held back tears. "Then let me know you Gaara," I said. "I want to know you."

"Stop lying and get away from me," Gaara shouted while pushing me away with his free arm.

"I'm not lying Gaara," I whispered while walking back over to him slowly. I took his hand and put it against my left cheek. "Please tell me what's wrong Gaara," I said. His eyes were filled with such loneliness it made me want to cry. Gaara shouldn't have been lonely for so long, he should have had friends and family that cared for him. "You don't have to be alone anymore Gaara," I said with a smile. "I'm here for you." He seemed to grow angry at my statement as he withdrew his hand. "I've always been alone," he said. "And I always will be alone!"

Using the tail he had grown, he knocked me up against the trunk of a tree and I heard a sickening crack. My skull had been cracked open and I felt blood trickle down my face from the wound. "Suki," I heard Naruto scream. "Are you alright?" I managed a slight nod and looked towards Naruto. "Yeah," I said weakly. "I'm okay…"

"You jerk," Naruto shouted, turning his attention back towards Gaara. "You didn't have to do that to her! All she ever did was try and understand you. She wanted to be your friend and that's how you treat her?"

"I don't have any friends," Gaara said. "People are nothing more than a nuisance; all they ever do is betray and hurt you. That is why I only care for myself!"

"Gaara," I whispered. "That's not true…You saved my life three times."

"Only because you used some type of Genjutsu," he growled at me. "I never would have if you hadn't been manipulating me." I looked at Gaara surprised. I had no idea what he was talking about. In fact, I stunk at Genjutsu. I could hear Naruto laughing in the background. "Suki and a Genjutsu," he asked. "Teaching Suki a Genjutsu is like teaching a fish how to breathe on land!" I sighed and tried to glare at Naruto, but I couldn't turn my head because of the searing pain, even though what he said was true. "You have to believe me Gaara," I said slowly. "I never used any type of Jutsu on you."

"I don't," he said looking away from me.

"Please let me help you Gaara," I shouted, unable to keep from doing so. "Let me heal your pain and suffering!"


	9. Chapter 9

Gaara's POV

"Please let me help you Gaara," Suki shouted at me. "Let me heal your pain and suffering." There were tears running down her cheeks and her brown eyes were full of sadness. I gripped my head in pain again as I remembered my uncle's words…_There__is__only__one__thing__that__can__heal__that__kind__of__pain__…__It__'__s__love__Gaara._ I shook my head even more as the transformation began again. I was ready for the next stage, but that pest Naruto was still bent on saving his precious friends. He beat me badly, until I finally unleashed the perfect possession. That was when he summoned a giant toad that cut off the right arm. I decided that maybe this would be a good time to summon Shukaku.

I woke him with my 'play possum' jutsu and watched the battle ensue as if it were a dream. Shukaku used his wind bullets and aimed them toward the toad. The toad countered with liquid bullets and the two collided in the air making it rain where Suki and the others were._Suki,_ I thought._Why__was__she__even__here?__She__should__be__back__at__the__arena__with__all__the__others__…__not__here._

Worried about the girl eh Gaara, Shukaku asked. Don't worry; I'll make quick work of her fragile body when I'm through with this pest.

_No, don't bring her into this…_

She brought herself into this kid, not me. That was when that guy Naruto and the toad used a transformation jutsu to latch onto Shukaku. Naruto jumped up and hit me so hard that I woke up. I was very angry that he disrupted my jutsu, but at the same time, I knew that Shukaku wouldn't be able to hurt Suki. Still, I wanted to kill Naruto Uzumaki for ruining everything. I was close to doing it too, if he hadn't been able to summon more shadow clones and head butt me. The two of us now weren't able to fight, and my mind was on Suki for some reason. She had been badly hurt because of me, and I felt guilty for it. I lay on the ground and watched as Naruto crawled towards me, even though he could barely move. I couldn't understand it. What gave him such strength?

"I know what its like," he said. "To be all alone and have no friends…"

"Why do you care for them so much," I asked.

"Because they care about me; they're my friends and I won't give up until I know they're safe." I finally understood what Yashamaru was trying to tell me. "So that's love," I whispered.

"Gaara," I heard someone say. I looked over and saw Suki sitting next to me, her forehead still bleeding. How she was still awake and able to move was beyond me. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Naruto," said the Uchiha as he appeared next to him. "Sakura's safe, the sand melted away after you beat him." Naruto smiled and looked at me. "That's a relief," he whispered before fainting from exhaustion. I heard the sound of someone falling next to me and looked back at Suki. She had lost a lot of blood, but as I reached out to touch her, the Uchiha boy picked her up off the ground and glared at me. I glared back as Temari and Kankuro appeared and took me away. I doubted I would ever see Suki again.

_Okay, this is the author speaking! I'd like you to know I'm skipping the part when Sasuke leaves because that's just depressing even though Suki and Lee fought the bone guy together and Gaara saves them. This is when Suki and Gaara see each other again at a party Ino is having. She's having it to celebrate the fact that the Sand and Leaf villages are now ally's and she wanted to cheer everyone up after the Sasuke incident. Oh, and Suki is still dating Neji. Cue party…_

Suki's POV

I let out a sigh and leaned against the wall of Ino's home. I was so bored since there was nothing fun to do. "Suki," said a voice next to me. I looked over and smiled at Gaara. "Hey Gaara," I said. "It's been a while hasn't it?" He nodded and leaned against the wall next to me. "What have you been up to," he asked.

"Same old same old," I said with a smile. "Missions and all that great stuff, you know?"

"I heard that you and your brother made Chunin," Gaara said. "That's great." I laughed. "Not as great as Jonin," I said. Gaara seemed to smile and he shook his head. "I guess not," he whispered. I nodded and looked away from him with a blush. "I missed you around here Gaara," I mumbled. Gaara looked at me both confused and astonished at the same time. "Why," he asked.

"Well it's only natural to miss a friend when they aren't around," I said with a smile. I could have sworn Gaara had blushed, but if he had, it was gone the moment it appeared. The two of us watched the others dance to songs as we talked for a bit until a slow song started. Gaara looked like he was trying to say something but a voice interrupted. "Hey Suki," Naruto shouted as he walked over. "Wanna dance?"

"Ummm," I said. "I don't know…I'm not really that good at dancing."

"Come on," Naruto whined. "Neji isn't here yet so why not have some fun instead of just standing here like a statue?"

"Okay," I said with a laugh. "I'll dance with you Naruto."

"Great," he cried while grabbing me and running over to the place where everyone was dancing. Naruto started to blush as he placed his hands on the small of my back and started to move me across the floor slowly. "Ya know," Naruto said. "I'm really happy you said yes Suki. I never would have been able to work up enough courage to ask one of the other girls." I shot a glare at Naruto and he quickly realized what he said. "It's not that I think you're not cute or anything 'cause you really are, it's just that the other girls would have ignored me or said no. You aren't like the other girls."

"I'm not," I asked. Naruto nodded. "Yeah, you're more like one of the guys. You're always hanging out with us and you're not afraid to mess up your hair or something like that. Most of the other girls here are to into their looks and only like Sasuke." I smiled at the complement. "Thanks Naruto," I said. "I know someone else who would have said yes though."

"Who?"

"Hinata."

"Hinata? I don't think she would have," he said with a blush. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "She would. Hinata would have been really happy if you asked her." Naruto seemed to blush a moment and then looked at me. "Are you sure? I think she'd faint…" I laughed. "That's because she would be so surprised," I said. Naruto smiled. "Thanks Suki," he said. "I really wanted to dance with her in the first place but I thought she would have said no right off the bat." I smiled as he went to go ask Hinata to dance. She blushed and then looked over at me. I smiled at her and nodded, just to get her to say yes to him. Hinata managed a small nod and Naruto rushed back over to me. "She said yes," he cried. "Thanks a lot Suki." Naruto gave me a big hug and took my hand. "I know who wants to dance with you ya know," he said dragging me off somewhere. I was surprised. Someone wanted to dance with me? "Who would want to dance with me," I asked. "Only Neji would ever ask me…"

"He's been staring at you ever since I asked you to dance," Naruto whispered. "It's like he's jealous of me or something."

"How do you know it's me he wants to dance with," I said in a shaky voice. "What if he wants to dance with you?" Naruto laughed and shook his head, then stopped in front of Gaara, Kankuro, and Lee. "Hey guys," Naruto said as I stood behind him. "Gaara, Lee, I think I found you both a dancing partner."

"Who would want to dance with me," Gaara asked in his sincere tone of voice. I smiled and thought of when I said that. "Well," Naruto said. "I know this really gorgeous girl and I think she'd just die if you asked her to dance." Kankuro laughed at what Naruto said. "The only gorgeous girl Gaara wants to dance with is Suki," Kankuro said. "He just hasn't gotten the backbone to ask her and I can't ask her since he'd kill me." I blushed as I heard Kankuro say my name. Gaara wanted to ask me to dance? Gaara, the person that always kept to himself, wanted to dance with me? The one that always ignored just about everyone, the most silent, the cutest guy I…what the hell am I thinking? I put my head on Naruto's back and gripped his coat in embarrassment. "Kankuro," Gaara said angrily. "I swear I'm going to kill you later…"

"Well it's good that you want to dance with Suki, Gaara," Naruto interrupted while pulling me out from behind him. "Because here she is! I was talking about her anyway. Lee, I think Sakura would be willing to dance with you." I blushed about ten shades of red as Gaara looked away from me. "Um, I…" I started to say until Gaara interrupted me.

"Would you like to dance," he finally said when U2's song 'With or Without You' started to play.

"Sure," I whispered. "I don't see why we can't." Gaara and I just stood there for a second or two not really knowing what to do. "Oh for God's sake," Kankuro said as he dragged both Gaara and I to the dance floor. "Now just dance with each other."

"I've never actually…" Gaara started to say as Kankuro let out an aggravated sigh. Grabbing Gaara's hands, Kankuro placed them around my waist and pushed him closer to me. "Now all you do is move with the music, sheesh," Kankuro said before walking away from the two of us. I gulped and shakily wrapped my arms around Gaara's neck as we started to dance. "You…you look nice," Gaara whispered. I blushed and looked him in the eye. "Thanks," I said.

"You're welcome," he said slowly. I couldn't take my eyes away from his. They were so entrancing and such a beautiful color…I blinked and looked away for fear that I might try to pull him in for a kiss. The song ended and we stopped dancing, but we didn't let go of each other. I looked back into Gaara's eyes and blushed a little. God they were so captivating; they made me want to kiss him…I felt him pull me closer as his lips came closer to mine. It was like a magnetic force was pulling me in and I felt my arms tighten around his neck. "Suki," I heard someone say. "Sorry I'm so late." I let go of Gaara quickly and looked at Neji. "Hey," I said in a weird, high pitched voice. Neji smiled and pulled me in for a kiss. "I hope you weren't waiting for me too long," he said. "Are you okay?" I shook my head. "No," I said trying to keep my voice as normal as possible. "Not long and I'm fine. Oh, right…Neji, this is Gaara. Gaara, Neji."

"Hello," Gaara said while he glared at Neji a little.

"Hi," Neji said matching Gaara's stare. The two seemed to be having a glaring contest with one another, until Ino shouted something. "Alright," she said with a smile. "Let's play 7 minutes in heaven!" Most of the girls squealed happily while Hinata, I, and all the guys groaned. "What," Ino shouted. "It's my party after all!"

"Yeah, but we always have to play this stupid game," Shikamaru said. "I'm sick of it."

"I have to agree with Shikamaru on this one," Kiba said as Akamaru barked. "7 minutes isn't long enough for us to actually summon the courage to kiss the girl and make out with her." Some of the guys agreed with Kiba while the others told him how sick and perverted he was. "Okay," Ino said. "How about 15 minutes in heaven?"

"Now you're talking," Kankuro shouted. I heard some people laugh and others just groan. "There's more girls here than guys," Ino said. "So at least all you guys will be able to pick someone. All the girls need to get into the kitchen and put something they are wearing into the black bag on the table. All the guys in here need to select a random number from the hat I'm holding and we'll go in numerical order." I walked into the kitchen with the other girls and looked at the bag. "What the hell should I put in here," I whispered to Hinata.

"W-well, I'm going to put in the half of our 'Best Friends' thing," she said. I smiled as she pulled half of a silver heart-shaped keepsake that was jagged on the inner part, which I had gotten her for her birthday a few years back. "Do y-you still h-have yours," she asked as she placed hers in the bag. I nodded and took my half out of my tool pouch. "I never leave home without it," I answered. "It's my good luck charm." Hinata smiled as I put it back in my pouch then took off my black lace choker with fake roses on it. "You rarely take that off," Sakura said after placing her headband in the bag. I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "My dad gave it to me when I was a little girl. He said it belonged to his mother before she died. I don't remember much about her at all…she died when Shika and I were just three years old. I do know she was a kind old woman and my father said she loved me very much."

"I'm sorry I said something," Sakura said. I smiled and placed it in the bag. "It's alright," I answered. "You didn't know."

"Alright," Ino said after placing her bracelet in the bag. "Everyone put something in here?" All the girls nodded and I rolled my eyes. "I hope you get N-Neji," Hinata whispered. I smiled. "Yeah," I said. "Me too." Everyone entered the living room where all the guys were hanging out and talking. "Okay," Ino said. "Who has number 1?"

"I do," Neji said as he got up. He placed his hand in the bag and pulled out one of Tenten's hair ribbons. Tenten let out a squeal of joy as Neji just walked into the closet unhappily. Tenten still liked Neji, despite the fact he was evidently going out with me and thankfully he always ignored her flirty ways. "Right," Ino said. "There's another closet so we can have number two choose." Naruto got off the couch and pulled out Hinata's keepsake. She blushed and nearly fainted again but I steadied her and gave her a hug. "Now's your chance," I whispered. "Tell him that you like him!" She nodded and walked into the closet after Naruto. When the two came out they were blushing and Naruto had a huge smile on his face. After them was Lee who got Sakura, Choji who got Temari, and then Shikamaru who got Ino. I laughed when they both came out of the closet. Shika and Ino really weren't into each other, but she had tried to get him to kiss her anyway. "Now then," Ino said in a frustrated voice. "Number 6, it's your turn." I blushed as Gaara stood up and stuffed his hand into the bag. I sighed, hoping he would get one of the other girls since Neji had already been picked, but when he pulled my necklace from the bag, I felt my heart stop.

"Hey," Kiba said. "Isn't that yours Suki?" I wanted to kill Kiba for pointing out the obvious, but instead I walked into the closet and sank to the ground.


	10. Chapter 10

Gaara's POV

After Kankuro explained to me what the game was about I felt a little uneasy. I mean what if I got a girl that tried to kiss me or one that was all over me? Or worse…what if I got Suki? I couldn't do anything to her because she was with Neji and yet…I had almost kissed her on the dance floor. It sort of seemed like she wanted to kiss me back; but that had to have been a trick of the light or maybe something bad I ate or maybe a misinterpretation on my part…right?

"I know who you want," Kankuro said in a mocking tone of voice. I glared at him as he smiled. "You want S~u~k~i…" I clenched my fists and looked away from him. "I don't think so," I said in a harsh tone; trying to make it seem like I didn't. Kankuro laughed. "Oh come on," he said. "When we got home, I heard you say her name in your sleep, and you blushed when I asked you about it the next day."

"That doesn't prove anything," I said.

"Oh no? Then how come you couldn't stop staring at her the moment you saw her," Kankuro continued. "Why was it the second we got this mission to help the Hidden Leaf you asked if she was involved in it? Why did you ask Temari and me how a kiss is supposed to feel? How come you couldn't stop talking about her for two months when we got back last time we visited? You couldn't even stop glaring at her boyfriend when he got here because you're so jealous of him!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said with a blush. Kankuro smiled and looked away from me. "Suit yourself," he said. "I know you like her." I glared at him as he walked away. "Number 6," Ino said. "It's your turn." Fairly un-amused, I walked over to her and stuffed my hand in the bag. Something lacy brushed up against my hand so I grabbed it and pulled it out of the bag. "Hey," one of the guys said. "Isn't that yours Suki?" I felt my eyes widen as she walked towards the closet. Kankuro was laughing even harder now and Temari grabbed me by the shoulder as I passed by her. "You should tell her how you feel," she whispered. "It's obvious that she likes you too." I blushed a bit and shook my head as I continued to walk to the closet. I closed the door behind me and sat down on one side of the closet. "It's a good thing I got you Gaara," Suki said in a funny voice.

"Why do you say that," I asked.

"Well," she answered. "I know you won't try and take advantage of me or something like that." I nodded and closed my eyes, thinking what it would be like to hold her close to me again; like I had on the dance floor, or when she had been poisoned. "You probably were hoping to get someone else anyway," I heard her mumble. I opened my eyes and looked at her. Suki was looking at the ground and hugging her knees close to her chest. "Actually if I could have chosen anyone out there, it would have been you," I whispered, hoping she wouldn't hear. Suki blushed madly and looked at me with wide eyes. "Come again," she asked.

"Nothing," I said a little too quickly. "I guess you would have been happier with your boyfriend in here instead of me."

"Well, I…" Suki started to say, but then she sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Aren't you happy with him?"

"Of course I am; it's just that…"

"What?"

"It's just that Shiranna told me that you had kissed me when I was unconscious on her couch," she blurted out.

"So," I said a little upset that she knew about that. Suki gulped and looked me in the eye. "I was just wondering…what it would be like to kiss you while I'm actually conscious," she said, trying to make light of the situation we were in. I wet my lips out of nervousness and looked away from her beautiful honey brown eyes. "I wouldn't mind it," I said slowly. "If you kissed me." Suki bit her lower lip and sat next to me. She looked at me with a blush as I placed a finger under her chin and placed my thumb on it, so I could tilt her head more towards me. "I've never really done this kind of thing before," I mumbled.

"Then maybe we shouldn't," Suki whispered. "You should share your first kiss with someone who is precious to you and someone you…" I cut her off by pressing my lips against hers. She didn't understand then…just how precious she was to me. She was like a precious gem that was rarely found and I felt that she was special to me; now that I thought about it, maybe Suki was supposed to be my first kiss. It wasn't like I hadn't almost kissed her before but now that I was…it felt good.

At first she was too surprised to kiss back, but after a second or so she did. Our lips moved together and I felt very strange. My heart was pounding and I felt feverish; I didn't want this kiss to end at all. I wanted to pull her closer to me, to hold her, to deepen this feeling that was growing inside me. After a few more seconds, Suki pulled away. We must have forgotten to breathe, because the two of us were panting deeply. I looked into her eyes and she seemed to be in deep thought about something. Now I felt like an idiot for doing that to her. She's with someone else…I only wished it was me…no, no I can't think of things like that. Suki is a friend and that's all she will ever be.

"I'm sorry," I whispered while letting her go and looking away. I tried to suppress a blush as she crawled into my lap and made me look at her again. God was she beautiful…just locking eyes with her made me want to kiss her more. Looking away from her again, I felt her wrap her arms around my neck, making me look back towards her. "You don't need to be sorry Gaara," she mumbled before pressing her soft, warm lips against mine once more. Kissing back, I wrapped my arms around her waist as I lay her down on the floor of the closet. Suki licked my bottom lip and started to move her hips against me.

The kiss became rougher as I placed an arm behind her head and there was a sharp intake of breath on my part as she wrapped a leg around one of mine. The feelings inside me increased greatly as she gently pushed her tongue passed my lips and into my mouth. She massaged her tongue against mine, coaxing me to move it. Her hands shot to my head and she bunched up her fists in my hair. It was as though she didn't want us to part; every time she exhaled through her nose I gained a trivial moan from her throat and she'd grind against me hard. I had never done something like this before with a girl, even out on missions if seduction was necessary; but this…this felt so right to me.

I remembered something that Kankuro had said about how to please a girl, in case I was ever caught in this type of situation on a mission or something. Slowly I pulled away from her lips and nibbled down her neck towards her collar bone. Once I reached there I started to nip and suck at the spot. "Nhhhaaaaa," Suki cried in a very loud voice. I pushed away from her quickly and sat where I had been before. "I'm sorry," I said with embarrassment; although I must admit her cry was very arousing. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You…you didn't hurt me," Suki said as she continued to lay on the ground, breathing hard. She looked towards the opposite wall just as the door was opened by her boyfriend Neji. "Oh, Neji," Suki said quickly as she shot up from the floor. "It was nice talking to you Gaara. I guess I'll see you later." I watched as she got up and walked over to her boyfriend as he glared menacingly at me. I wouldn't let myself look at him, seeing as how I probably would have started to fight him. I had no idea what this feeling was inside of me, but it made me want Suki near. Even when I got out of the closet I could feel my eyes wanting to watch her every move. When I finally did look at her she was dancing with Neji. I glared at them as he placed a tender kiss on her lips and she smiled up at him.

"Gaara," I heard someone behind me say. I whirled around and looked at Temari and Kankuro. "What," I asked as I pushed passed them to the table with food on it. Kankuro was smiling and Temari looked concerned. "Gaara," Temari said slowly. "Did you two um…"

"Did we what," I yelled at her. Temari took a deep breath before she finished her sentence. "Did you guys kiss?" I blushed about ten shades of red and shook my head furiously. "No," I said.

"They did," Kankuro said. "He still has her lip gloss on his lips." I self consciously wiped at my lips as Kankuro burst into laughter. "Gaara," he said after taking a few deep breaths and calming down. "She wasn't wearing any." I stared at my brother as my sister stood there shocked. "Gaara did you really?" Temari asked. I blushed a bit, and then nodded slightly. "Didn't you hear her moan in there Temari," Kankuro asked.

"You heard that," I asked in a low voice. Kankuro put his arm around me and smiled. "Never knew you had it in you," Kankuro said. "Then again you are my brother so you shouldn't have a problem with the ladies." I felt embarrassed as Kankuro pat my back and walked away. Temari turned to me after watching our brother leave and sighed. "Gaara, um…"

"What is it Temari," I whispered.

"I don't think Kankuro is setting a good example about Suki," she said. "You shouldn't think about girls the way he does."

"I'm not like him," I yelled. Temari looked at me coldly. "Then why did you take advantage of her like that," she yelled back.

"It's not what you think."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't…she just…I…forget it," I said. I started to walk away but Temari stopped me once more. "Just answer me one question Gaara," she said sternly. "Then I promise not to ask anymore questions."

"Fine."

"What…what did it feel like?"

"It was…it was amazing."

"My God," Temari whispered. "I never thought that this would ever happen."

"What are you talking about," I asked.

"You're in love with her."

"I'm what?"

"You're in love with Suki."

"I don't understand," I said. "I've never felt love before." Temari shook her head and started to walk away. "Well," she said while stopping and turning to face me. "Maybe it's not love, but you certainly like her. Heck you could probably fall in love with her sometime sooner or later." I watched her go and find someone else to talk too. "But," I whispered. "I've never felt this way before."

Suki's POV

"What happened in there," Neji asked me after we walked out of the closet and to the kitchen. I sighed, not really knowing what to tell him. "Nothing," I mumbled. To tell the true I wasn't really sure what happened in there myself. All I could remember was thinking that it felt right. I had no clue what it was that Gaara made me feel but it was different from what Neji made me feel. Yes I loved Neji and wanted to be with him, but the feeling Gaara gave me was something different. The feeling Gaara gave me…I had wanted more of it.

"It wasn't 'nothing' to me," Neji yelled. I took a glass down from the cabinet and sighed. "Did you use your byakugan," I asked in an angry voice. Neji shook his head and looked at me angrily. "No, but I'm sure everyone else heard that scream," he shouted. "Don't deny it either! I've heard you scream like that before, and it's usually me making you scream like that; not someone else."

"I just bumped into something that's all!"

"Is that really all?"

"You don't trust me do you," I asked while looking at the floor. Neji wrapped his arms around me from behind and sighed. "It's not you I don't trust, it's him," Neji whispered. "The way he looks at you just makes me so jealous; and well…you see…I've wanted to tell you something for a long time."

"What is it," I asked while turning around and looking him in the eyes. Neji looked deeply into my eyes and took a deep breath. "I…I know I've never said this before, and I wanted to say it some place special but every time I thought it was special enough, I either chickened out or thought of a way to make it seem more special. I guess this is a good enough time as any," he said. "I love you, Suki. I've loved you from the moment I met you and I don't want to lose you…" I stood there shocked as he said those words. I couldn't believe it; I had wanted him to say that for so long. "Neji," I whispered. "I've wanted to hear you say that for a long time. I love you too." Neji smiled and kissed me tenderly. I was so happy Neji finally told me he loved me. "Suki," he whispered after pulling away. "I love you so much." He pulled me in for another kiss and lifted me up onto the counter. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he put his hands on my lower back. Neji pulled away slowly and nipped down my neckline to the base. "Neji," I moaned.

"Hmm," he whispered before going back to nipping at my neck.

"I think we should probably get back to the party. I mean, what if we get caught?"

"They'll have to watch me ravish this wonderful body of yours."

"Neji…"

"I'm serious. I rarely get to be with you like this. Every time you come over, Hinata and her sister are there. Every time _I_ come over, your father and brother are there. We rarely go out together and even when we do it seems like I can't get a moment alone with you."

"I know…it's just that I don't want us to get in trouble. Plus if Shika see's you kissing me, he'll throw a fit. He threw you out last time, remember?"

"Okay," he whispered with a smile before kissing me once more. "Let's go dance for a bit and then I'll take you home." I smiled and nodded as Neji led me back to the dance floor. A slow song had started again and Neji pulled me close with a smile. "I'll always love you, Suki," he whispered in my ear. I looked into his eyes as he pulled me in for another quick kiss. After pulling away I felt someone watching the two of us. Looking over I saw Gaara glare at Neji for a bit; then he turned and walked away. My smile fell as I lay my head on Neji's chest and I could tell that Gaara was upset about something. Had I made him angry? Of course I had…I kissed him even though I already had a boyfriend, but he did kiss me first. Then again, I let him kiss me and then I kept it going because it felt…it felt right; like we were meant to…Jeez, just stop thinking! Now I was starting to sound like Neji and his destiny crap I didn't believe in! I shouldn't have lead Gaara on like that, it wasn't right…it wasn't fair of me to do such a thing to him.

"Suki," Neji asked, pulling me from my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh," I mumbled. "I guess I'm okay. I'm just kind of feeling a little sick is all." Neji felt my forehead with his and nodded. "Well, you do seem to have a slight fever," he said. "I think I should take you home." I nodded as Neji took me by the hand and led me towards the door. "Where are you two going," someone said. Neji and I turned to see Shikamaru standing behind us. "I was taking your sister home," Neji answered. "She seems to have a slight fever." Shikamaru nodded then took my hand from Neji's. "I'll take my sister home," he said.

"I was just about to," Neji said. "You don't need to worry."

"Alright," Shikamaru said. "I'll trust you to take care of her, but if something happens I won't trust you to take care of her ever again."

"Shika," I said. "Why are you being like this to the man I love?"

"Because I don't like you having a boyfriend," he whispered in my ear. "I don't trust him, but I have to since you do. You'll also have to tell me when _he_ became the man you loved once I get home."

"Thank you Shika," I said while giving him a hug. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I am a big girl after all," I said as he let me go and watched me leave. Neji took me home and after he kissed me goodnight, I went to bed. Soon, I drifted off to sleep, only to be woken up about five minutes later by a slight taping sound on my window. Rubbing my eyes, I stretched and opened the window all the way. "Who's there," I whispered. I shrugged, thinking it was my imagination, only to have sand wrap around me and pull me to the roof. "Gaara," I muttered as he put me down on the roof. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," he whispered with a shrug. "I just went for a walk and found myself at your place. I guess I wanted to see you again." I blushed as he sat on the roof and motioned for me to sit next to him. I sat down next to him and felt him stare at me. "What is it," I asked.

"Nothing," Gaara said as he looked away. "I was just noticing how pretty you looked in the moonlight." I blushed again and looked up at the sky. The moon was full and the stars were shining brightly. It reminded me of the first night I had met Gaara. He had been so kind to me and even saved my life that night. I blushed, remembering how handsome I thought he looked; I never really thanked him properly either now had I? No, I guess not…but if he hadn't rescued me like he did, we wouldn't be friends with one another now.


	11. Chapter 11

Gaara's POV

I had left the party about a half an hour after Suki had and felt the need to see her one last time before we had to leave tomorrow. She didn't know when we were leaving and for some reason I didn't want her to know. I felt that it would do nothing but cause her pain if I told her. I finally found myself out side Suki's house and decided against knocking on the door. Her brother could be there too and probably told their parents about the time I brought her home in bandages and they probably wouldn't be happy to let me in. Looking up, I saw her bedroom window and thought that she might be there. After jumping on her roof and knocking on the window with sand, she opened it up and I used my sand to lift her next to me.

"Gaara," she whispered. "What are you doing here?" I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. "I don't know," I finally said. "I just went for a walk and found myself at your place. I guess I wanted to see you again." She blushed as I sat down and she sat next to me. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight, and I couldn't help but stare at her. "What is it," she asked. I felt my self blush and look away. "Nothing," I said. "I was just noticing how pretty you looked in the moonlight." I mentally slapped myself for saying that. Even if I wanted to I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from saying that, but she didn't seem to mind that much. She was off in her own little world of thoughts at the moment. "Um, Suki," I asked. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah," she answered while shaking her head. "I was just thinking back to when I first met you…that night looks sort of like tonight doesn't it? I called you the Sandman that night too."

"Yeah, I guess so," I said looking up at the stars. "I still don't understand why you called me that." Although to tell the truth, it made me blush when she said it. "Hey," Suki said. "Watch this." She executed a few hand signs and used her shadow possession jutsu to manipulate the shadows that were cast on the roof in front of us. She made the shadow move for a bit until she came up with the shape of a horse. "Nice," I said.

"My father showed Shikamaru and me how to move around our shadow and turn it into all sorts of shapes just to help us practice. We'd even make up stories for them as well," Suki said. "I can make it move around too." Just as she had said she could, she made the horse gallop around the roof top and had it come to a stop at the edge, as it reared up towards the moon. I smiled and used some of my sand to make a bunny that hopped around on the roof next to the horse. "It's cute," Suki said as I brought it over to her. "It's much better the ones I could make…wait, here; this one will knock your socks off."

Suki manipulated the shadow again, this time turning it into a wolf that howled at the moon. She then turned it into a pack of them that ran around the opposing roof. "Wow," I said. "That's pretty good." Suki smiled. "Well I've had a lot of practice."

"Ha, I've got one," I said as I made my sand turn into something else. Suki smiled as it floated over to her. "Sandwich," I said. Suki burst into a fit of laughter as someone opened a window down below us. "Suki," a man's voice called out. "Pipe down before your mother finds out that you're up there! You know how much she hates having you up on the roof; now get down and go back to bed before I come up there after you!"

Suki sighed and looked over the roof's edge at a man that looked a lot like her brother and her. "Yes dad," she said. "I love you!"

"Don't try and sweet talk your way out of this one missy," he yelled back at her. "What a drag…just say goodbye to your friend and get back into bed."

"Fine…"

"By the way," her father added. "I love you too, and I won't tell Neji you have a second boyfriend." Suki smiled and shook her head as I blushed. "This isn't my second boyfriend," she said. "My second boyfriend is locked up in my closet. This is Gaara. "Well who ever he is," her father said as she looked back up at me. "He has to go home now." Suki smiled at me and shook her head again. "Sorry," she said. "I guess I have to go now." I nodded. "I'll see you later then Suki," I said.

"Gaara, wait," she said as she walked back over to me. "When are you leaving? I was hoping I could come and say goodbye to you." I looked away from her and shook my head. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," I said. "But I'm leaving tomorrow." Suki looked down and let out a sigh. "Okay," she said with a nod. "I was hoping it would be later so we could spend some more time together but, I'll see you tomorrow at the gate before you go." I nodded as Suki came closer and hugged me. I blushed and hugged her back, and as soon as I did, she plucked up the courage to kiss me on the cheek. My blush deepened as she let go of me and rushed back into her room.

"Suki," I whispered just as she disappeared. "I wish I could tell you how I feel…but you'd never feel the same way about a monster like me." Taking one last look at the moon and the shadows that were around, I found my way back to the hotel.

The next morning…

"Thanks for all the help," Shikamaru said as my siblings and I stood at the gates.

"No problem," Kankuro said just as we turned to go. I sighed, hoping that Suki would be true to her word and come say goodbye. As it turned out she didn't show up. I can't say I didn't blame her; she was probably angry at me for telling her I was leaving at the last second. "To bad," Kankuro whispered. "Looks like you owe me a thousand yen Temari (_Authors__note:__a__thousand__yen__is__roughly__ten__bucks_); she didn't show up!" Temari had a scowl on her face as she shook her head. "You both had a bet going on," I almost shouted as I turned to look at them. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Wait," I heard a voice say. "Wait a second Gaara!" Looking back toward the gates, I saw Suki running towards the three of us with her brother behind her. "Suki," I whispered, astonished that she was here. Temari smiled as Kankuro let out a growl. "Looks like that thousand yen is mine," she said as Kankuro handed her the money.

"Hey," she said as she came to a stop in front of me. "Sorry I'm late but a certain stupid brother of mine told me that it was an hour later. Thankfully I showed up early!" Suki's twin just groaned as he caught up with her. "Only because I didn't want to see you cry after he went," he said. Suki turned and smacked her brother on the head. "Shut up stupid pineapple head," she said before turning around to face me again. "Here, I got you something."

Suki handed me a strangely wrapped gift and then grabbed a piece of paper from her ninja pouch. "This is my address," she said. "Promise that you'll write to me when you can?"

"Sure," I said, taking the paper.

"As if you'll write him back," Shikamaru muttered. Suki hit her brother on the head again and stuck her tongue out at him. "I will," she said. "Just you watch!" I felt a small smile grace my lips as I watched the two argue with one another. It was clear that they cared deeply for one another and it was obvious that Suki would win the argument.

"Also Gaara," Suki said after finishing with her brother. "Don't open that until you get home okay? It's made of glass and I'd rather it didn't brake on you." I nodded with a small smile as she gave me one last hug. "Bye Suki," I whispered. She shook her head and playfully punched me on the shoulder. "It's not 'goodbye' Gaara," she said. "It's 'see ya later'. Got it?"

"Yeah," I said as she and her brother walked back towards the gates. "See you later." Temari smiled and turned to leave as Kankuro gave me a wink and followed suit. Just as Suki disappeared beyond the gates, I finally turned to go.

"So what did she give you," Kankuro said before sprawling himself out on the couch of my Jonin office. We had just gotten back and I had just started on some paperwork when he and Temari decided to barge in. "I haven't opened it yet," I whispered. "I thought I could later."

"Come on," Temari said as she sat in the chair opposite mine. "I want to see what she got you!"

"Why is everyone butting in on this," I asked after signing something. Kankuro laughed as Temari smiled and shook her head. "She has a real affect on you doesn't she," Temari said. I blushed and shook my head. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I said trying to concentrate on my paperwork.

"Dude," Kankuro said. "You do know that you just signed a memo that came in for you specifically right?"

"Right after you did the same thing to your calendar," Temari added. I looked at both things I signed and almost slammed my head on my desk for my stupidity. "It's because you two are in here distracting me," I said just as I took my pen and scratched out my name from my calendar.

"Look, just open the gift and we won't bother you anymore," Kankuro said. I glared at him and then sighed. "Promise," I asked.

"Promise," Temari said as Kankuro made an X on his chest. I sighed again and took out the present. Opening it, I realized it was a glass snow globe with a black wolf inside it howling up at the moon. I smiled and read the note that was attached to it.

_Hey Gaara,_

_I had a lot of fun last night and I hope the next time we see each other we can do it again. After seeing this snow globe at the shop I was passing by on the way to the gate, I thought of the smile you had on your face when I made the wolves out of the shadows and it's got to be better than a sandwich, right? I figure you probably have a lot of trinkets on your desk along with a sandwich, but I hope you can make room for this one! I hope to see you soon and despite whatever my brother says, I will write you back right after I read your letter!_

_With Love,_

_Suki_

"With love, eh," Kankuro said. "You devil." I practically jumped out of my seat when I realized he was right behind me reading the note. "It's really pretty," Temari said as she picked up the gift. "She has good taste; I approve of her." I looked at my sister questioningly just as Kankuro chimed in. "Suki is a really cute girl," he said. "If she were interested in me I'd defiantly ask her out, but you've got my blessing anyway."

"What in the world are you two saying," I yelled as I stood up and slammed my hands on my desk. Temari jumped up slightly and almost dropped the snow globe. "What we're saying little bro," Kankuro continued with a smile. "Is that we think she'd make a good match for you. It's obvious that she likes you!"

"All Suki sees me as is a friend," I shouted at them. "And that's all I see her as too; now if you would be so kind as to leave my office and let me get back to my paperwork like you two promised!"

"Touchy," Kankuro whispered as he left. Temari placed Suki's gift down on my desk again and sighed. "Don't lie to yourself, Gaara," she said before turning to go. "It'll just hurt you more in the end." Before I could ask her what she meant, she was gone. I shook my head and looked back at my paperwork. I sighed, knowing that all I was to Suki was a friend; and that was all I'd ever be.

_Author here again! I know, I'm horrible and you all hate me for what I'm doing to poor Gaara, but he'll get the girl he's meant to be with. I'm skipping up to the part where Gaara is trying to save Matsuri from being kidnapped and yatta, yatta, yatta. I'll tell you the truth now, I'm not a big fan of Matsuri but I'll make her seem like a good person even though I don't like her. She just seems too ditsy for Gaara if you ask me…anyway on to the part where Gaara is trapped between the cliff and that guy with the freakish armour. Everyone ready for the scene? Gaara: Do I get to kiss Suki again? Me: Only if I feel like making you guys kiss again. Gaara: Aw…please? Me: -_-" Here, have a chocolate chip cookie… Gaara: YAY! Me: Okay, now onto the next scene!_

"It's pathetic to see you waste what energy you have left for a friend," the man said as he advanced towards me. I could barely move at all and he had been able to lay a few blows on my shoulders. He raised one of the swords he had to administer another one, but for some reason or another, he couldn't lower it. "What the," he said trying to move.

"But how," I whispered before looking behind him. There on the opposite cliff was a girl that I hadn't seen in a long time. "Hey there," she said. "Sorry about being a little late Gaara! I didn't mean to make you wait." My heart pounded in my chest as I looked up at her. She had on a bright smile and was making the man lower his raised sword slowly so it wouldn't cause any damage. "Suki," I whispered just as Naruto ran over to Matsuri and freed her. "I can't believe you came…"

"What is this magic," the man cried as Suki let him look back towards her.

"Enjoying it are we," she asked with a smug look. "This is the Leaf Villages Shadow Possession Jutsu. Now this is where things get a little problematic for you." Suki made a few more hand signs then slammed them down on the ground. "Shadow Strangulation Jutsu," she cried, as hands grabbed at the man's throat and two of the expandable swords on his back. "Foolish arrogant girl," he managed to whisper just as the middle sword on his back flew towards her and struck her in her right lung. "Ugh," she muttered as she coughed up some blood.

"Suki," Naruto screamed. I felt my heart beat quicken and I couldn't find the strength to scream her name like Naruto did. Instead, I fell down to the ground on my knees and watched her hopelessly. Placing both of her hands on the sword in her lung; she tried to pull it out, only to be flung towards me like a rag doll. Mustering the chakra I could, I placed sand underneath her in mid air and gently pulled her over to me. "Gaara," she muttered as blood trickled down the side of her mouth. "You idiot…you should have saved some of that chakra to protect yourself."

"This coming from the person that just risked her life to save me," I asked in a whisper as I held her close to me. She smiled a little and tried to stand. I helped her up and let her lean on me as much as she needed. "You'd waste what little chakra you have to save some foolish girl," the man asked. I glared at him angrily as Suki's breathing became a little more labored. "I would do anything to save her even if it cost me my life," I yelled. "Because she was the first person to accept me for who I am and the first person that ever called me her friend!"

"Gaara," Suki whispered. "Thank you…"

"It doesn't matter," the man said. "I have you where I want you anyways." He executed a few hand signs and some metal thing popped out of the ground and encircled Suki and I. "Damn it," I muttered as I put Suki back on the ground and ran to one of the sides. "What the hell is this thing?" I reached into my robe and pulled out Matsuri's rope javelin. I threw it outside towards her hiding spot hoping she would find it and use it. After that it was a waiting game as the dome closed around us.

Suki's POV

I couldn't believe I didn't listen to Shika and team up with Naruto and Lee. I just thought it was a better idea to go after the kidnapper in the middle. Turns out they were after Gaara and now I was injured. I couldn't say that I wasn't happy to see Gaara, or that he had saved me again, but it seemed like I couldn't do anything to help him. Sure I had been able to save the lives of others, but when it came to Gaara, he was the one that I could never help. Now I was stuck here in this stupid dome thing and I wasn't going to be able to do anything. "Damn it," I muttered.

"What is it," Gaara asked. I sat up and managed to crawl over to where Gaara was sitting. "It's just…I don't know," I mumbled. Gaara looked over at me and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I blushed at his act and he retracted his arm. "Sorry," he whispered. "I can't see very well in here and I'd rather know where you are since I don't know what this thing does…you shouldn't talk that much because of your injury."

"I know," I said while griping the side of my chest. "It's just that you seem to be the one that's always saving me. It doesn't matter what I do; I somehow mess everything up and get hurt when I'm trying to help you…"

"Suki," Gaara said while placing a hand on my cheek. "You've done more for me than anyone else."

"How?"

"By being my friend." My blush deepened and I realized how close the two of us had gotten. "Suki," Gaara whispered. "I…ARGH!" All of a sudden I felt as if my life was being sucked from my body and I could barely move. Gaara was in just as much pain, if not even more. I wouldn't let myself scream from the pain, but I could feel tears come down my cheeks. I was surprised; I had a very high threshold for pain and it had to be a severe ten on the pain chart to make me cry. "Gaara," I heard a muted voice from outside say. "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of there!"

"Naruto," I shouted back up. "Hurry!"

"Suki," Naruto shouted. "I can't believe you're still conscious!"

"Believe it," I yelled with a small smile. Gaara was now crouched on the ground, holding his head and trying to get his bearings. "Suki," he muttered. "Help…me." I crawled over to Gaara and wrapped my arms around him. "What do you need," I asked in a soothing voice. Gaara let out a loud groan of pain and my grip on him tightened. "They're trying to release Shukaku," he said. "I need you to help me bring him under control…"

"How," I whispered. I couldn't think of anything that I could do to help. His face started to transform and I could feel one of his arms start to transform as well. "Just…keep holding me," he muttered. "Somehow it helps…" I blushed and felt my heart start to pound, which wasn't good seeing as how I still had an open wound. I felt myself grow dizzy from loss of blood and I started to cough some more up. No matter what, I told myself, I wouldn't let go of Gaara. He needed me now, and I wasn't going to leave him in this pain.

I felt my breathing become raspy as everything around me started to swirl around and blend together. Gaara gave one last shout of pain and somehow burst the dome we were trapped in. He stood up slowly and seeing as I was too weak to hold on, I let him go and fell to the ground. The feeling of my life being sucked from me had gone, along with the dizziness, but the pain remained the same. My breathing seemed to slow and I tried to stand up. "Suki," I heard someone nearby shout. I looked over to see Shikamaru and the rest of the gang standing there. "Shika," I said with a small smile.

"Hang on I'm coming to get you," he shouted.

"You mean we're coming to get her," Neji said as he and Shikamaru broke into a run. Temari ran ahead of them and stopped them both. "You can't do anything to help her right now," she shouted at them.

"But that's my sister," Shikamaru shouted while trying to get past her. Temari knocked him back and blocked Neji with her fan. "I know," she whispered. "And that's my brother out there. We can't do anything to help them if he transforms into Shukaku. If he does, he won't have any control and will kill us if we try to help in any way."

"I have to save her," Neji yelled. "I can't watch her lay there in pain and do nothing!"

"Listen, just because you're her boyfriend doesn't mean you should charge in there blindly like some sort of prince charming! It doesn't work like that," Temari said. "She'll be safe. I can promise you that!"

"How," Neji and Shikamaru shouted at the same time.

"Because Gaara wouldn't do anything to hurt Suki." The two seemed to listen as they backed off. I looked back up at Gaara as he closed his eyes. He was fighting back Shukaku and here I was again doing nothing to help. _You__'__ve__done__more__for__me__than__anyone__else__…_I heard Gaara's voice ripple throughout my mind. _By__being__my__friend__…__Suki__…__hold__me__…__somehow__it__helps._ Biting my lower lip to keep from crying out in pain, I slowly lifted myself into a standing position and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Gaara," I whispered. "Please…come back to me."

Sand was starting to poor from his face and arm as they seemed to melt off him. "I can't believe it," Temari shouted, just before whispering something. I looked into Gaara's eyes and before I knew it, his lips softly brushed against mine. I felt myself melt on the spot as he pulled away just as quickly as he had kissed me. "Thank you Suki," he whispered.

"So you didn't have enough chakra to complete the transformation," a man with white hair said.

"Not exactly," Gaara said while holding me close to him. "I'd rather I defeated you myself."

"Arrogance won't help you fool," the man said. He used the tri sword on his back to attack Gaara. Thankfully he was able to dodge two of them with me still in his arms, but the third almost hit him. I watched it come our way and pushed Gaara towards safety as it cut a long gash in my stomach. I was too weak to let out a scream, but I heard shouting come from Neji and Shikamaru. I fell to the ground just as Gaara preformed his next attack. I remember the cliff starting to crumble as it turned into sand, and being lifted from the ground into warm arms, but after that I blacked out.

Shikamaru's POV

"Suki," I shouted once more as she was cut on her stomach. "You idiot…if you don't get out of this alive I will kill you!" I could care less if I was spouting nonsense at this point; I was just so worried about her…

"I can't believe she was able to help Gaara suppress the Shukaku," Temari whispered again. "No one can do that." Sand was everywhere at this point and just as Gaara placed Suki on the ground and threw his pike towards his opponent, I looked at Sakura and nodded. The tool the man was using had been destroyed and as he sank beneath the sand Sakura and I were running towards Suki. "Damn it," I said. "Suki, why didn't you listen to me?"

"I'll kill him," I heard Neji say as he ran towards Gaara's now unconscious body. Sakura made it to Suki and started to heal her while I knelt next to her. "How is she," I asked.

"She's lost a lot of blood but she'll be fine," Sakura whispered. "She just needs rest and attention. I'm going to get the bleeding to stop and heal her wounds."

"Let me go," Neji shouted while Naruto and Kankuro were holding him back from beating on Gaara. Temari held Gaara close to her and shook her head. "Listen," Naruto said. "It's not his fault."

"He should have protected her," Neji shouted. "It's his fault that she's hurt like this!"

"Gaara would have done anything to stop her," Kankuro said. "I guarantee you he will be just as hurt as you are now."

"How do you know that," Neji muttered. "How do you know he'll feel anything?"

"Because Gaara loves her," Temari blurted out. "They've been friends for a long time and I know Gaara would have done anything to protect her! Besides, you shouldn't be over here trying to take your anger out on my brother; you should be over there with the girl you love!" Neji glared at Temari angrily and then walked over to Suki and me.

"Is she okay," Neji asked as Sakura went to heal Gaara. I nodded as Suki let out a groan of pain. "She's a lot tougher than she looks," I whispered. "She's always beating me up anyway."

"That's true," Neji said with a sigh. "If she thinks I say something mean to Hinata I get hit over the head."

"It hurts a lot more than she thinks it does, doesn't it," I asked as the two of us lifted her off the ground. Neji smiled as he took Suki in his arms and kissed her forehead. "Yeah," he said. "But she doesn't mean to hurt anyone."

"Speak for yourself," I muttered as all of us started back towards the leaf village.

"Well," I said as I stood in front of the gates with Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Matsuri. "It looks like we have to part ways again."

"I'm sorry about the state your sister is in," Gaara whispered with a painful look on his face. "I feel like it's my fault that she's still in the hospital."

"It's not," I said. "Suki just did what she thought was right. Saving you was her first priority; I'll make sure she writes you when she wakes up." Gaara seemed to smile a bit and then asked about Naruto. "He's supposed to be leaving later today," I answered him. "He'll be gone for about two to four years for training."

"I see," Gaara said. "Thank you for helping us retrieve one of our precious Shinobi."

"It was nothing," I said. "You can think of it as a thank you from the last time you helped us out."

"At least you're not all choked up like last time," Temari said before she and the others turned to go.

"Women," I muttered before going off to see Suki. "Always have to get the last word in don't ya?"


	12. Chapter 12

Suki's POV…Four Year's later…

It had been two weeks but I was finally home from my mission. It was supposed to take three weeks but we finished it early and now I was on my way to the apartment that Neji and I shared. He would be so happy to see me so soon and I knew that he had the day off tomorrow. Since it was so late I decided to enter the place quietly and I figured I'd wake him up in a way that he liked a lot. I slowly crept up to our room and smiled slightly. "Oh, Neji," I heard a feminine voice moan. My heart pounded as I slowly opened the door and saw something that made me feel crushed. "Neji," I screamed while turning on the light. There he was; in bed with another girl. "Suki," he cried. The girl next to him pulled the blankets over herself as I stared at Neji with a shocked look. "No," I managed to say. "No, no, no, no, no. NO!" Turning around I stomped towards the front door as Neji ran after me. "Suki wait," he said while grabbing my wrist. "I can explain."

"That's great Neji," I said while turning to face him. "How the hell are you going to explain you and some other girl in our own bed for God sake?"

"I can."

"No," I screamed. "You can't! I don't even want to look at you right now I'm so angry! I'm going to Shika's and if you follow me there I swear I will kill you!" Neji tried to follow me as expected but after slamming the front door in his face and locking it after me made him realize just how mad I was. I couldn't believe it. I had been with him for almost five years and now I see this happen?

I ran to my brother's house in tears only to find out the jerk wasn't even home. Sighing, I sat down on his porch and thought of what to do next. I didn't want to explain this to anyone at this moment and I knew Hinata was out of town on a different mission. Dad and Mom wouldn't have been the best solution either because mom would lecture me about how she knew he wasn't the right guy and that I shouldn't have moved in with him, while dad would take Ino and Choji's father with him, along with a few other friends, to kill Neji. Finally I stood up and walked to the nearest hotel.

"Welcome," the lady behind the counter said. "A room for one?"

_No,_ I thought. _A__room__for__two__because__I__brought__my__imaginary__friend._ "Suki," I heard a voice from the side of me say. "Is that you?" I looked over to see Temari standing there with Shikamaru at her side. "Shika," I cried as I ran into my brothers arms.

"Okay," he said. "What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

"Don't start fucking with me Shikamaru," I yelled while hitting him as hard as I could. "Take me to your place and I'll explain!"

"Jeez," Shikamaru said. "You're pissed off aren't you? Hang on, let me help get Temari a room and then I'll take you home."

"Not home," I said. "I'm not going home to that two timer!"

"Okay," Shikamaru whispered. "Maybe it would be best if you explained what's going on now."

"I think it would be best if Suki explained in my room," Temari said. "I also think that you should stay with me for the night."

"Why," I asked. Temari shrugged. "Well," she said. "If what I think you're about to say is what I think it is; he'll definitely go looking for you at your brother's house, even if you told him not to." I nodded and followed the two of them up to Temari's room. I sat down on the edge of the bed and shook my head. "I'll order some tea to help settle your nerves," Temari whispered before leaving the room.

"So what is it," Shikamaru asked as I was on the verge of tears again. "Aren't you supposed to be gone for another week?"

"I now wish I was," I whispered. "Then everything would be fine…everything would be normal and I wouldn't know what I just saw at all; I'd just live my life completely and blissfully ignorant." Shika gave me a confused look as Temari walked back into the room. "The tea should be here soon," she said. "Are you okay Suki?" I looked at Temari and shook my head. Temari had become a good friend of mine since she came to the leaf village a lot and seeing as Shikamaru was always assigned as her escort, I was able to see her often. In fact, Temari had become more than just a friend to me; I had sort of started to think of her as the older sister I never had. I was happy she was here. I felt a bit more comfortable and I knew I could tell her anything without flying of the handle like a certain brother I'd hate to mention.

"I…um," I said before taking a deep breath. "I caught Neji with another girl." Temari's face turned into one of shock as Shikamaru sat there strangely calm. "Oh Suki," Temari said. "I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved him. I always thought you two were really meant to be."

"I can't believe that he would do something like this," I whispered as I started to cry again. Temari glared at Shikamaru as he got up and walked towards the door. "And just where do you think you're going," Temari shouted. "Can't you see your sister is in a state of hopelessness after what just happened?" Shikamaru turned around with a look of death in his eyes. "I'm going to visit Neji and have a little chat with him," Shikamaru said calmly. "I'm going to listen to his side of the story reasonably and then I'm going to beat the shit out of him! I can't believe this…I always told you I never liked him in the first place and now I know why!" A sort of smile came to my face as Temari held Shika back from running out the door. "It's not going to do anyone any good if you go around beating people up," Temari said. "Besides, I can't have my escort be beat up!"

"All the more reason," Shikamaru said as he struggled against Temari's grip. "This is such a huge drag…"

"Shika," I said. "I can't have you beat him up for me."

"You're right," Shikamaru said. "I'll kill him!"

"I think you'd have to fight Dad for that right," I mumbled. "Along with Kiba along with his dog Akamaru, Shino, Naruto if he was still here, Lee, and Choji; damn I just realized how many guy friends I have…"

"You forgot one," Temari said with a chuckle.

"Which one," I asked just as a knock came from the front door.

"If I let you go will you get that," Temari asked Shikamaru. Shikamaru nodded slightly and answered the door. After a few second's he came in with the tea Temari had ordered. "Hey," I said as Temari started to serve us. "You still didn't tell me which one I forgot."

"Gaara," Temari said. "If he knew, he'd be here in a heartbeat." I smiled at Temari's answer. It was true, even though Gaara was the Kazekage of the Sand; he still found time to write me as much as he could. "I haven't seen Gaara in like three years," I muttered. "I wonder how he is…"

"You know," Temari said as she handed me my tea. "It might be nice if you went to visit him." I laughed. "Yeah right," I said. "He's the Kazekage; he wouldn't have time to see an old friend."

"Trust me when I say he would take every possible opportunity to be with you if you visited him," Temari said as I took a large sip of tea.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," I said. "Gaara's got work to do and I don't want to bother him."

"Like your letters don't," Shika mumbled. Temari smacked him upside the head. "You have no idea how happy Gaara gets when he finds out he has a letter from Suki. It's like it makes his day so much better," she yelled. "Even when he comes home late at night and sees he's just gotten a letter from her, he'll read it before he goes to bed!"

"How would you know that," I said with a laugh.

"Promise not to tell him if I tell you," Temari asked with a smile. I nodded. "I once found him sleeping at the table. He had decided to write you back right away."

"No," I said. Temari nodded and laughed. "He had ink smeared all over his face." I burst into a fit of laughter and Shika rolled his eyes. "I'll never understand women," he mumbled before finishing up his tea. "Okay, let's get going Suki. You can stay with me tonight."

"Why don't you stay here," Temari asked. "That way if Neji goes looking for you, you won't have to deal with him tonight." I nodded and sighed. "That sounds like a good idea Temari," I said.

"What a drag," Shikamaru said. "Fine, stay here if you want. I just want to get to bed and dream up ways to get Neji back for you."

"I love you too Shika-kun," I said with a smile. Walking over to him, I gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. "You sure you'll be alright," he whispered.

"Yeah," I said. "I'll be with Temari. Plus you can get us both breakfast in the morning!" Shikamaru laughed and kissed my forehead. "Troublesome twin," he said with a smile. I smiled back and let him go. "Stupid pineapple head," I whispered back. Shikamaru shook his head and left me with Temari.

Gaara's POV…two weeks later…

"Here Lord Kazekage," said one of the ninja's. "This is the report you asked for."

"Thank you," I said while taking it from him. Just as he left Kankuro entered with a big smile on his face and decided to situate himself on my desk. "So," he said with that smile of his growing. "How's my little brother doing?"

"What is it that you want Kankuro," I said, knowing he was here just to annoy me or something to that effect. He gave me a small pouty look and shook his head. "Can't an older sibling go and see his little brother at work?"

"If it's a normal brother then yes," I said. "But when it happens to be you, then no."

"That hurts Gaara," Kankuro said, still smiling. "You should be nicer to me you know."

"Why should I," I asked. "You came bursting in with no reason whatsoever and knowing you, it has to be something." Kankuro sighed. "I have no reason to come down and see you," he said. "Except there was this letter sticking out of our mailbox and it looks like Suki's handwriting…" I made a grab for the letter as he dangled it in front of me like bait on a hook for a fish. "Kankuro I swear if you don't hand me that letter I will make your life a living hell," I said. Kankuro just laughed as I chased him around my desk and office. He was finally able to stand behind a chair and opened up the letter. "Kankuro," I yelled angrily.

"Dear Gaara," he read in a girly voice. "How have you been? I've been doing just horrible. Neji got me pregnant and left me for some other girl…"

"What," I screamed while practically jumping over the chair towards him and tearing the letter from his hands. Kankuro lay on the floor laughing while I read what the letter actually said. I took a few deep breaths and fell back into my chair. "Don't ever do that," I whispered to him. "If that had actually happened I don't know what I would do."

"You'd probably ask her to marry you or something stupid like that," Kankuro muttered while rolling his eyes. I ignored him and reread the letter from Suki. I was always happy to get a letter from her, but for some reason it left me feeling lonely. "So she still with Neji," Kankuro asked while sitting down in a chair opposite me. I pretended that I didn't hear him, but I nodded anyways. "Look," Kankuro said. "You're just hurting yourself more. It's obvious that these two were made for each other because they've been together for four years! Why don't you ask Matsuri out? I know for a fact that she likes you and she's really nice."

"You and Temari keep insinuating that I like Suki but you have no idea how wrong you are," I said. "She's just a friend and I don't date because I don't have the time for it."

"It's sad how you keep lying to yourself," Kankuro said. "Just give Matsuri a try. You both already know each other and you've taken her to those fancy function's you have to go to. Everyone else thinks you're both dating so why not give it a shot?"

"Maybe," I whispered.

"Lord Gaara," said Matsuri as she rushed in with a scroll. "This was sent to you by Lady Temari. I don't think it's urgent but they thought you might want it immediately." Kankuro gave me a smile and motioned his head towards Matsuri as she handed me the scroll. "Thank you Matsuri," I said.

"So Matsuri," Kankuro said. "How are you and that boyfriend of yours?"

"You know we broke up Lord Kankuro," Matsuri said with a blush.

"So you're free this evening," he said. Matsuri's blush became darker as she looked at me and then back to Kankuro. "Gee Lord Kankuro," she said. "I think you're a nice guy and all but…"

"I wasn't talking about me," Kankuro said. "I was talking about you and Gaara going to get something to eat later on." I closed my eyes and sighed before opening up the scroll. "That doesn't sound so bad," Matsuri whispered. "I'd like to and I don't have any plans."

"I'll have him pick you up at five for dinner," Kankuro answered as Matsuri nodded and left. I glared at Kankuro as he smiled. "Go on the date," he said. I sighed and nodded slowly. "Fine," I said just as I started to read the message Temari just sent. "What in the world?" I jumped out of my seat as I reread the first few lines. "What is it," Kankuro said. "Did Temari break our treaty with the Leaf?"

"No," I shouted with wide eyes. "Suki's coming over for a visit." Kankuro shot up from his chair and read the message. "She also says Suki has something exciting to tell you but promised her she wouldn't tell you in the message. I wonder if she finally ended things with Neji…"

"She's probably getting married to him," I whispered looking over at the snow globe on my desk. It had been there for four years and I had never moved it from that spot; heck, I never let anyone touch it for that matter. "It says she should be on her way and here tomorrow," Kankuro whispered. "I wonder what she looks like now." I pulled a photo of Suki out of my desk drawer and threw it at him. Kankuro caught it easily and whistled. "Well did she grow up or what…look at the size of that chest and that body," he said with a smile. "Man, I can't believe you haven't at least tried to break those two up."

"Just because she's nice to look at doesn't mean that I'm going to hurt the relationship she has with Neji," I said. "Suki and I will always be friends."

"Well it doesn't matter anyway," Kankuro said with a smile. "You're going out with Matsuri tonight and I don't expect you home until at least eleven, okay?" I shook my head with a groan and sighed. "Fine," I said. "Will you just go and leave me alone with my work?"

"Jeez you should get married to your work," Kankuro said while getting up. He tossed the picture back to me and left. I looked at it and sighed again. A small smile came to my face as I thought of seeing her again, but I soon shoved the picture back into the drawer. If I kept staring at it I wouldn't get anymore work done.

Later…

I was now dropping Matsuri off from our date and now we were standing outside her house. "Thanks for tonight Gaara," she said with a smile. "I had a lot of fun." I nodded a little but I didn't really see how she had had fun with me; all we did was have a quiet dinner and see a movie. "No problem," I whispered. Matsuri stood there waiting for a moment then blushed slightly as she kissed my cheek. I sighed inwardly, knowing she was hoping I would kiss her. I felt a little self conscious seeing as the only girl I had ever kissed was Suki, but I softly pressed my lips against hers. Matsuri wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed back happily. I couldn't say that it didn't feel good, it was just…it wasn't what I wanted. Now that I thought about it, I wanted Suki's sort of kiss. One that made me feel…I don't know…well, one that made my heart pound...one that made me think that she was the only one for me. "I'll see you tomorrow Gaara," Matsuri whispered after pulling away.

"Good night," I whispered back. She smiled and went inside her house. Looking at my watch I realized it was about eight thirty so I decided to take a walk around the town. The sun was setting and as I walked towards the front of the village, I saw someone stumble foreword and fall to the ground. "Hey," I said as I rushed towards them. "Are you okay?" After reaching the person I realized it was a girl with long black hair. She was breathing hard and her pale skin was hot to the touch. "Suki," I whispered after recognizing the person as her. I felt her forehead and found out she had a high fever and she was sweating profusely. "Damn it," I muttered, knowing she was severely dehydrated. "You should have brought something to hydrate yourself." Lifting her up, I quickly took her to the hospital and rushed over to the nearest receptionist.

"Lord Kazekage," she said while standing up.

"You have to help her," I said.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But we can't take in anyone that isn't from the sand."

"She's an ally from the leaf village!"

"I'm sorry Lord Kazekage," she whispered. "But we can't take her in without some sort of Identification and someone to vouch for her."

"I'll vouch for her," I yelled. "I don't want to hear any more excuses. If you can't use one of the doctors here then use my personal doctor!"

"Yes sir," she said. She pushed a button that called for a stretcher and a few nurses. "Looks like a heat stroke; she was lucky she was found when she was…a little longer and she could have died," one of them said.

"I need to have you help me fill out a few forms Lord Gaara," another one of the nurses said as I tried to follow them into the room they lead her too. I wanted to be around her as soon as she woke up. "I can't go with her," I asked in a fearful tone. I was worried sick about Suki and I wanted to be with her. "Sir, I'm sorry but we need to know a few things first," the nurse said. "But I can assure you we'll do the best we can." I nodded and tried to calm myself down a bit. I took a few deep breaths and started to pace back and forth a little. "We're going to do everything we can Lord Kazekage, so don't worry," he said. "I need to know her name."

"It's Suki Nara," I said.

"Where is she from?"

"The Hidden Leaf Village."

"Okay, how old is she?"

"She's 18 or 19. I can't quite remember…I'm pretty sure it's 18 though," I whispered. The nurse nodded and continued to ask me questions and I answered as best as I could…I didn't know about her allergies or anything like that since she only communicated to me by letter, but I was able to answer a lot more than I thought I could. After he left I called Kankuro and he rushed over as soon as he could. "What's wrong," he said as he reached me. He was out of breath and I hadn't told him the whole story because the idiot hung up right after I told him I was at the hospital. "What happened? Did Matsuri eat something she was allergic to or…"

"No," I said. "Matsuri's fine. I walked her home about an hour and a half ago."

"Then what is going on," Kankuro cried. "Why did you call me to come here at nine thirty at night?"

"Like you were doing anything," I muttered. "It's Suki."

"What," he asked. "I thought she wasn't supposed to be here until tomorrow!"

"She got here early I guess," I said. "She's suffering from a heat stroke and they're doing what they can to save her. I just hope I got her hear in time." Kankuro sighed and sat next to me. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "We should probably talk about something that's got a better ending…tell me how your date went."

"It was fine," I said. "We had dinner and went to the movies."

"Sounds traditional enough," Kankuro said. "Did you give her a goodnight kiss?"

"So what if I did," I whispered. My older brother smiled and gave me a thumbs up. "Go Gaara," he said. "How was it?" I sighed and leaned back in my seat. "Fine," I answered.

"Come on," Kankuro said. "Give me the dirty details."

"There are none," I said. "I don't do what you do on dates."

"You should," he whispered. "It's a lot of fun."

"You're disgusting," I said. I heard a laugh come from behind us as we turned to see Kankuro's friend Sumi. "Hey you guys," she said with a smile. "What are you doing here?" Kankuro practically jumped from his seat and blushed. "Sumi," Kankuro shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that?"

"I can't help it if I'm a master of stealth and medicine," Sumi said with a laugh. "I'm on break right now and I heard you two were here so I came to say hi." I smiled at Sumi as she climbed over the small seats and pounced at Kankuro. The two had been best friends since I could remember and Sumi was a great person to be around. "So," Sumi said while giving Kankuro a huge hug. "Who did you go out with Gaara?"

"Matsuri," I said. Sumi sort of winced and shook her head. "Nah," she said. "I can't see you happy with her. I mean she's a nice girl and probably a great friend but other than that…I just can't see it." I smiled and nodded. "Thank you," I said. "See Kankuro? Even Sumi thinks we're not a good match."

"Kankuro made you go out with her," Sumi asked. I nodded again. "I would have thought he would have gone after her himself," she said. "He's dated just about every girl around his age in this village already."

"I have not," Kankuro protested as Sumi let him go and gave him a 'yeah right' look. "It's true!"

"Name one girl in this village you haven't asked out," Sumi challenged.

"You," Kankuro said with a smile. Sumi rolled her eyes. "Well, that's true." Kankuro's smile widened and he put his arm around Sumi's shoulder. "Are you upset about that babe," he said. Sumi smiled and elbowed him in the gut. "You only wish," she said. "I may be horny and alone, but I'm not desperate."

"Oh but I am," Kankuro said while wrapping his arms around her and grabbing at certain places. Sumi sighed and kneed him in a place that was only meant to be treated nicely. I winced as Kankuro doubled over in pain. "Now that wasn't so nice," I whispered. Sumi shrugged and sat down next to me. "It's the only way I can keep him in check," she answered. "Plus I don't hit him as hard as I actually could."

"I have no doubt," I said. Kankuro gave a small moan of pain and tried to get up. "Sumi," he said. "Why did you do that?"

"Hey," she said. "You grabbed me first; I claim self defense and I have Gaara as a witness!" I shrugged as Kankuro got up and sat in the seat opposite Sumi. "Can't you be a little kinder to the general and his little soldiers?" I tried not to smile as Sumi burst into fits of laughter. "That's what you call them," she asked. "And you a puppet master…"

"Hey I'm proud of what I got," Kankuro said. "They'd rock your world." I shook my head and tried not to listen to the conversation they were having. They always did some kind of banter about one another or they just hung out and talked. "Lord Kazekage," said a nurse as she walked over to the three of us. "The girl you brought in is awake now." I shot up from my chair as Kankuro and Sumi followed me to Suki's room. "Suki," I said excitedly as I rushed over to her. She sat up and smiled at me. "Well Temari was right about one thing," she said. "You are happy to see me."

"Okay," said Sumi. "Introduce us please."

"Suki this is Kankuro's friend Sumi," I said. "Sumi this is Suki."

"Nice to meet you," Sumi said with a big smile.

"A friend of Kankuro's huh," Suki whispered as she looked at me. Sumi laughed and shook her head. "I know what you're thinking and it's not like that," Sumi said. "Yeah he's a pervert but I'm not his girlfriend."

"Remind me again why you're not," Kankuro said with a smile.

"I thought I already showed you why in the waiting room," Sumi said while tapping her foot on the floor. Kankuro winced and looked away from her. "Well I have to get back to work," Sumi said. "I'll see you guys around." She gave Kankuro a hug and walked away. "I guess I'll see if I can get you checked out Suki," Kankuro said. "Why don't you two catch up a bit?" I watched as Kankuro walked out and looked back at Suki. I couldn't believe how happy I felt seeing her. I hadn't realized how much I missed her until she was actually here.


	13. Chapter 13

Suki's POV

All I could remember from entering the sand village was blacking out and feeling really hot. Then I felt very cold and woke up in a hospital. Now I was sitting in the hospital room alone with Gaara. Temari had told me that I should tell him what had happened the moment I saw him. I didn't know if I should or not. "Suki," Gaara said with a smile. "I can't believe it's been three years already."

"Yeah," I said. "The last time I saw you was at your inauguration as Kazekage."

"That was a long time ago," he said. "I probably shouldn't ask but Temari wrote in her message that you had something important to tell me?" I blushed and looked away for a moment. "Well," I said. "Temari and Shikamaru thought it would be a good idea for me to get away for a while. I sort of had a falling out with Neji…"

"What," Gaara asked. I took a deep breath and looked Gaara in the eyes. "I broke up with Neji," I said. Gaara sat on the bed and pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm sorry to hear that," he whispered. "When did this happen?"

"Just a couple weeks ago," I mumbled. "I found him in bed with another woman."

"I'm so sorry," Gaara said while pulling away and putting his arms on my shoulders. "That shouldn't have happened. Suki, you should be with someone who loves you."

"Neji loved me," I said slowly. "At least I thought he did." Gaara shook his head. "If he loved you he wouldn't have done this to you," Gaara stated. "I've never been in love with someone, but I know that you don't do that to someone you love."

"Oh Gaara," I said while burying my head against his chest. "I'm such an idiot…how could I have not seen this coming? Was it something I did?"

"Suki," Gaara whispered. "It's not because of you. Don't ever think it was something you did. This is his fault, not yours." Tears fell down my eyes as Gaara held me close to him. It was comforting to hear his steady heartbeat…"Hey," Kankuro said as he came back into the room. "We can bring Suki home. Jeez, I'm only gone for two seconds and you've got her crying in your arms."

"Suki broke up with Neji," Gaara said. Kankuro gave me an astonished look and then seemed sympathetic. "I'm sorry to hear that Suki," he whispered. "I thought you two would get married one day…I mean four years is a long time to be with someone."

"It was actually five," I muttered while looking down. "I thought we'd get married one day too; until I found him with that girl…" I clenched my fists and let out an aggravated sigh. "Well," Kankuro said. "Give me at least a week to cheer you up and I promise you that you'll feel better."

"You," I asked. "The perv that grabbed my ass at Gaara's inauguration party?"

"He's surprisingly sympathetic when a girl get's hurt like this," Gaara said with a smile. "Trust me, if he pulls one of his moves while you're alone with him, I'll come right home and beat him up myself." I smiled a little and Kankuro laughed. "That is true," Kankuro said. "Gaara would have my hide if I did anything to you." I looked at Gaara with a blush and he seemed to have a slight blush to his face as well. "I guess that's okay," I said. "I've never been able to spend very much time in the Sand before and I can't wait."

"How long are you planning on staying," Gaara asked.

"I was hoping I could stay for about a week, but if that's too much for you then I'll go home earlier," I whispered. Gaara looked surprised for a moment and then shook his head. "Suki I haven't seen you in three years," Gaara said with a smile. "I wouldn't care if you stayed three months!" I smiled and kissed Gaara's cheek. "Thank you," I said. "You're a true friend Gaara."

"Okay," Kankuro said. "Let's get going shall we? I already prepared a room for you Suki and I think you'll like it."

"Good grief," I said. "It's next to yours isn't it?"

"No," Kankuro protested. "It's next to Gaara's." The blush on my face deepened as I looked at Gaara. He made it a point not to look at me the whole time we walked to his house. "This is going to be great," Kankuro said. "I can't believe we've got a hot girl staying with us; that never happens."

"What about when Sumi sleeps over," Gaara asked with a smirk. Kankuro blushed and then shook his head wildly. "Ha, Sumi a hot girl," he said. "I've known her since I was five; she's like a sister to me." I smiled and looked at Kankuro's face. "You like her," I said. "I know that look!"

"What are you talking about," Kankuro said as he looked at me weirdly. I just sighed and smiled. "Look," I said. "I can tell you like her just by the look on your face and she seems to like you too."

"It only took you one look to notice," Gaara asked. "Temari had to explain it to me…"

"Well we girls know when a guy likes us," I said. "We're funny that way. I guess it just adds to the mystery."

"Hear that Gaara," Kankuro mused. "Suki knows you like her."

"What," I said while stopping in my tracks. "Gaara likes who now?" Gaara looked like he was about to punch his brother in the face. "He's just joking," Gaara said turning to me. "He knows that I like someone else."

"Oh," I said. "Thank God." I smiled but it was only to hide the sharp feeling of pain. I didn't know why but I had sort of hoped Kankuro wasn't joking…I shook my head a bit trying to convince myself that I was just on the rebound from Neji. "Home sweet home," Kankuro said as he opened the door to the house. I had to say it was pretty cool. Like the others it had been carved out of rock, but it really looked homey. "This is a nice place," I said. "I like it."

"I'm glad," Gaara whispered. "Well the bathroom is over there in case you want to freshen up, and upstairs is the bedrooms, this is the living room, down the hall is the kitchen and the dining room is right next to it." I nodded and then realized that I didn't have a bag of clothes with me. "Um…Gaara," I whispered.

"Yeah," he said while turning to face me.

"I sort of lost my bag in a freak sandstorm on my way here," I said. It was the truth too. I had just found a shelter and the wind had blown my bag from my grip. "So what," Kankuro said. "You can always sleep naked…" I turned around and punched him in the face. "Damn," Kankuro said. "Even Sumi hits me that hard."

"What did you expect," Gaara barked at him. "How could you even suggest that kind of thing?" Kankuro smiled as he tried to stop the nosebleed I had given to him. "Come on Gaara," he said. "Like you haven't imagined at least one girl without any clothes on…" This time Gaara and I both punched him in the face. "Okay," Kankuro said while holding the left side of his face. "I can see why he punched me that time but you Suki?"

"You were insinuating that I was the one he had imagined weren't you," I shouted.

"I could have meant any other girl," Kankuro shouted back at me.

"Whatever," I muttered while heading up the stairs. "I'll just sleep in these clothes."

"I think I have something you could use," Gaara whispered while following me up the stairs.

"Really," I said. "Thanks. I just need a shirt and I'll be fine." Gaara nodded and lead me to his room. He pulled a black shirt from his dresser and threw it at me. "If you're not tired yet," he said. "You can watch a movie if you like."

"Sounds good," I whispered. "I'm not that tired yet." After changing in my room I went down stairs and looked at the DVD's they had. A lot of them were just my kind of movies…thrillers, action adventures, comedy, and the occasional cartoon. I saw the case to a movie I hadn't seen yet so I choose it. "What did you pick," Gaara asked as he came down the stairs. I blushed as he stood there in only red pants and no shirt. "What," he asked.

"Nothing," I said as my blush deepened and I looked away. He was toned even more than Neji was...how had I not noticed that before? "Gaara," Kankuro shouted as he came down the stairs in plaid boxers and a t-shirt. "Put a shirt on will ya?"

"What's wrong," he asked. "I never wear a shirt to bed."

"Yeah but Suki's here, she might not be used to something like that," Kankuro hissed.

"You don't complain when Sumi's here," Gaara said.

"That's because Sumi's known you since you were three," Kankuro explained.

"Look," I said still trying not to blush at Gaara's body. "I don't mind really. Trust me, Neji used to sleep in just his boxers so it's not like I haven't seen a guy's body before."

"Well if that's the case," Kankuro said while taking his shirt off. "Then I can walk around comfortably too." I sighed. "Temari doesn't stay home very often does she," I asked.

"Nah," Kankuro said. "She's mostly traveling to and from the Hidden Leaf Village." I nodded seeing as it was true. Temari usually was at the Hidden Leaf Village. "I got to get up early anyway," Kankuro said as he went off to bed.

"So what movie did you choose," Gaara asked after he heard Kankuro's bedroom door shut.

"Paranormal Activity," I said. Gaara shuddered. "Alone," he asked. I shrugged a bit. "Well I figured you were going to go to bed soon because you have work tomorrow so yeah." Gaara took the DVD case from my hands and grabbed my wrist to lead me up the stairs. "What are you doing," I asked a little frightened.

"You're not watching this movie without the proper safety precautions," Gaara said.

"And you're an authority on movie edict," I asked with a smile. Gaara nodded and opened the door to Kankuro's room. "Hey," he said as Kankuro sat up in his bed. "Suki wants to watch Paranormal Activity."

"Then watch it with her," Kankuro said while lying back down. "I don't want to see anything scary right now. I'd rather watch something funny."

"She was about to watch it alone," Gaara said. Kankuro jumped out of his bed and looked at me like I was nuts or something. "Have you not seen this movie," he asked.

"No I haven't," I said. "Come on it can't be that scary."

"Are you sane," Gaara asked. "Even I thought it was scary." Kankuro sighed and threw an extra pillow at Gaara. "Take that with you," he said.

"What," I said. "So I can cover my eyes?"

"No," Kankuro said. "So you can cover your mouth when you scream." I smiled and shook my head. "You guys are real pansies," I said. Gaara rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Come on," he said while grabbing my wrist again and taking me to his room. "Here, I'll put the movie in and you get comfortable." I rolled my eyes and lay down on his bed. It turned out to be a nice water bed that was very comfortable. "I didn't know you had a water bed," I said. Gaara nodded. "I find it very relaxing," he said while putting the case next to his DVD player. "Now move over." Gaara lay next to me and pulled a blanket over the two of us. "You can hang onto me if you want," he whispered while pressing the play button on the remote. "Sumi hung onto Kankuro for dear life when she saw this for the first time." I rolled my eyes as the movie began.

I was very thankful to Gaara for having me watch that movie with him. It was scarier than I thought it would be and I jumped at a couple parts. Then again it was kinda nice to have Gaara wrap his arms around me to comfort me when I did. My heart pounded throughout the whole movie and when it was over Gaara turned off the TV and looked at me with a smile. "Now are you glad you didn't watch this alone," he asked.

"Yeah," I said in a shaky voice. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Can I spend the night with you," I pleaded while throwing my arms around Gaara's neck and clinging to him with all my might. I could tell he was smiling as he hugged me back. "How do you know I'm not the demon that's going to come after you," Gaara asked. I laughed and gave him a playful smack on the chest. "Yeah right," I said. "You've saved my life way too many times for me to count and now you're saying that you're gonna possess me and eventually kill me?"

"You catch on fast," he whispered.

"Please," I said. "I'm more frightened of Kankuro coming into my room to molest me than I am of you trying to possess me."

"True enough," Gaara said. "You can stay."

"Thank you," I said happily as I snuggled under the covers next to Gaara. He stirred for a moment then looked at me. "Suki," he whispered.

"Yeah," I asked.

"Would you mind it if I…never mind." Gaara turned over onto his other side towards the wall. I shook my head and wrapped my arm around Gaara. "You can be so mysterious sometimes Gaara," I whispered before falling asleep.

Gaara's POV

I blushed as Suki wrapped her arm around me. It was funny at the same time because I wanted to ask if I could hold her close to me. I felt a smile come to my face as I rolled over and wrapped my arms around her. "You can be so mysterious sometimes Gaara," she whispered before falling asleep. My smile deepened as I ran a hand threw her long black hair. Suki was just so beautiful…I found myself pressing my lips to her forehead. She smiled and snuggled closer to me. "Neji," she whispered. "I love you…"

It felt like someone had pushed a knife into my heart and cut it out once she said that. Why did it feel like that though? I knew she was in love with Neji; that she had been for a long time. Neji was the one she was meant to be with; the one that should be holding her close right now…but he ruined that chance when he slept with that other girl. I wondered how someone could do that to someone like Suki. She was an amazing person; she never judged you for what you were but for _who_ you were. She was the first person to ever make me feel like I belonged; like I had meant something. That was probably why I cared about her so much.

I woke up the next morning by myself and heard some yelling from the kitchen. I sighed, knowing it was Kankuro and Sumi. She usually popped by in the mornings before work and Kankuro probably had made a move on her or Suki. My eyes widened as I growled at the thought of him touching Suki in a sexual manner. The covers flew off my bed as I ran down the stairs and slammed the door to the kitchen open. "Kankuro," I yelled. "Get your hands off Suki!" The three of them looked over at me like I was some kind of nut. "You think the worst of your older brother don't you," Kankuro said with fake tears in his eyes. "Oh how could it come to this Sumi? I've just tried to set a good example…" Kankuro threw his arms around Sumi and her face grew red with anger. "I don't know Kankuro," she hissed. "Maybe if you got your perverted hands off my ass I'd tell you!"

"He's not well received is he," Suki said while pointing her breakfast spoon at Kankuro. Sumi punched Kankuro in the face and shook her head. "Not by many no," she said while grabbing her work bag. "I'm off to work now. Oh, I'll be back later during my lunch hour to help you find some clothes Suki."

"Why can't she borrow some of yours or Temari's," Kankuro asked while picking himself up off the floor. Sumi sighed and walked over to Suki and grabbed at her chest. "For one thing," Sumi said while moving her hands around. "These are much bigger than Temari's and my hips and butt are bigger than hers; hence the clothes shopping." Suki blushed as Sumi let go of her and started to walk towards me. "See you later Gaara," she said while giving me a hug and then continuing towards the front door. "Kankuro stop watching me walk away!" Suki laughed as Kankuro stopped leaning against the island counter and watching Sumi. "I was not," he called back while grabbing a bowl from one of the upper cabinets.

"She knows you way to well," Suki said as the front door slammed. "I'm glad she's going to take me out shopping though. Sumi seems really nice."

"Even after she molested you like that," Kankuro asked while pouring himself some cereal.

"Eh," Suki said. "She's a girl. We've got the same parts so it's not like she hasn't seen or felt them before."

"You do know she's bi as well right," Kankuro continued. Suki just shrugged a bit and put her empty bowl in the sink. "So," Suki said. "It doesn't matter." Kankuro just shrugged and then smiled. "What would you say if she asked you out," he asked.

"Well," Suki said with a small blush. "I'd explain about getting out of a serious relationship and that if she's willing to wait until I was ready to go out with someone again then maybe I would since I'm bi too." Kankuro had a look of shock on his face as Suki laughed hysterically. I had a small smile on my face as I grabbed myself an apple. "Well I'm going to take a shower," Suki said. "Mind if I use your shampoo and stuff?"

"Some of Temari's should still be in there," I said while washing off the apple. Suki nodded and went upstairs to grab he clothes from yesterday. "So," Kankuro said as I took a bite of my breakfast. "Did you guys have fun last night?" I shrugged a bit. "Yeah I guess," I said. "Suki was afraid of the movie like I thought she would be so she slept in my room with me."

"I know that," Kankuro said. "I saw her come out of your room this morning before Sumi came over to drop off the CD she borrowed from me. I was talking about after the movie; ya know, have you helped in that healing process at all?"

"We just fell asleep," I said. "Nothing happened." Kankuro sighed and threw his bowl into the sink and gave me a light smack over the head. "Don't you get it you idiot," he said in a harsh whisper as Suki came down the stairs and walked into the bathroom. "Now's your chance to get what you want."

"Kankuro," I whispered while throwing away the half eaten apple.

"Look, you've liked her for a long time, just about everyone who knows you well enough knows you do except her, and now's the time you can show her that you're the one she's been looking for all her life."

"It's not that I wouldn't want to," I whispered, finally admitting my feelings for her to him. "It felt so good to hold her close to me last night, but when I kissed her forehead she whispered, 'Neji, I love you…'. Do you have any idea how that felt? It was like someone just dug into my chest with there bare hands and ripped out my heart." Kankuro looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry man," he said. "I didn't know that. It's just that she said something this morning to Sumi when she thought I wasn't listening."

"What did she say," I asked while turning to face him.

"Sumi asked her if she liked you," he said. "Suki didn't answer her right away but she did blush and think about what to say for about three minutes. Plus, I know girls, if they think about if for a while it really means they want what it is they're thinking about and…"

"What did she say," I demanded, tired of his prattling.

"She said she didn't know," Kankuro whispered. "But the way she was staring off into space and the look on her face said that she did; trust me on this one." I shook my head and started to walk back to my room. "Wait," I said while turning to face him again. "Where were you when Sumi asked her that?"

"I was coming back from the bathroom and didn't come in when I heard Sumi ask her that," Kankuro said. I smiled and shook my head. "Well I have to get ready for work," I whispered.


	14. Chapter 14

Suki's POV

I lay down on the couch in the living room thinking about what had happened this morning. I had woken up in Gaara's arms feeling… peaceful and content. It was as if his strong arms had fought away all my troubles while I slept. In truth I hadn't slept very well for two weeks and I had been so depressed; but sleeping next to Gaara for one night had made me feel like myself again. I didn't know how he did it either. When Sumi had asked me whether or not I had liked him I almost yelled out yes. I had to bite my lip just to keep myself from saying it and told myself the only reason I was feeling this way was because I was trying to get over Neji as fast as possible. Then again, why did it feel…grabbing the pillow under my head I screamed into it in frustration.

"Someone's not in a good mood," said a voice. Taking the pillow off, I looked up at Sumi, with Kankuro next to her. "I thought you were at work," I said to him.

"I was going out to lunch and ran into Sumi," he said. "I figured all three of us can get a quick bite to eat before you two went shopping."

"Ran into," Sumi asked. "You were waiting outside the hospital for me."

"I took a detour," Kankuro said with a stretch. I smiled and shook my head, wondering why on earth these two hadn't gotten together yet. Sumi seemed to be the only girl in this world who could keep him in check…"We should get your hair cut," Sumi said. "It's pretty long and your bangs cover your eyes a bit too much."

"How short would it get," I asked. "I kinda like it long but I was debating about cutting it since there's so much heat here."

"Just to the shoulders," Sumi said. "Not much."

"Yeah," Kankuro said. "You might look even cuter if that were possible." I blushed a bit and followed the two to a ramen stand not to far away. "So," Sumi said after we sat down and ordered. "How long were you planning on staying here?'

"I brought enough clothes for a week before that stupid sandstorm blew my bag away," I said. "Thankfully my headband was in my tool pouch." I pulled it out and put it on to show Sumi. "Cool," Sumi said. "What level ninja have you made it to?" The ramen was served and I took a bite. "Jonin," I whispered. "Although my dad says people in our family make it to Jonin at my age. Since my brothers so lazy he hasn't made it yet but I know he will soon."

"You're pretty young to have advanced so far," Sumi said while taking a sip of her broth. "How old is your brother?"

"We're the same age," I said. "We're twins but he's the older one by a couple minutes."

"That's cool," Sumi said. "I always wondered what it would be like to be a twin."

"We do look a lot alike, but we're different in so many ways," I said while taking a picture of the two of us out of my tool pouch. "That's him."

"Wow, he's cute," she said. "I don't have any brothers or sisters. They said my mom was lucky enough to have me."

"How long have you been a medical ninja," I asked.

"Ha, my family comes from a long line of medical ninja's so we know how to heal just about every wound and cure every poison," she said. "You're Hokage is Lady Tsunade right?"

"Yeah," I said. "Did you train under her?"

"No," Sumi said. "But she's my mom's older cousin. I know I'm not as good as her but I try my hardest; heck I don't even think I'm as good as my mom was but a lot of people say I am…"

"Tsunade is a tough one to beat," I said. "I only know of one other person that's better than her though."

"Someone better then Tsunade? I doubt it."

"Her name is Shiranna," I said. "She's the best one out there."

"I've heard of her," Sumi said with a scoff. "She's just some old legend. I bet that even if she was real that she would be some old hermit living in the mountains or something." I shook my head and smiled. A lot of medical ninja's thought that about Shiranna. They said she was too good to be true. I guess that's what happens when you don't like to let people know about your work. "I don't care what you two say," Kankuro said. "I don't think she's a legend."

"That's only cause you've met her," I whispered as Kankuro smiled.

"Okay," Sumi said just as she gulped down the last of her ramen. "Let's get going to the mall!"

"She seems excited," I said to Kankuro.

"Sumi doesn't really hang around many girls," he said. "They all think she's weird and keep they're distance. It's kinda funny to see her hanging out with a girl that's just her friend."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said while rolling my eyes and following Sumi to the mall. The two of us waved goodbye to Kankuro and got to shopping. I didn't like the fact that Sumi paid for everything, but she was faster with her wallet than I was and when I almost beat her to the punch, she gave me a death glare that would have scared even the fiercest animal. "Well that seems like a good enough amount of stuff," Sumi said as she picked up one of the many bags after paying for my haircut. "It's not often I get to spoil someone."

"I find that highly doubtful," I muttered just as we passed a fancy dress store. Sumi stopped immediately and looked at one of the dresses in the window. "That might look good on you," she said. "It would be good if you had a nice dress on you for date purposes."

"Who in the world here would ask me out on a date," I said. Sumi smiled before saying anything. "What about Gaara?" I dropped the five bags I was carrying and their contents spilled out onto the floor. "Gaara," I repeated as a very noticeable blush came to my face.

"Yes," I heard a voice say from behind me. Whipping around I saw him standing there looking at me curiously. I let out a surprised cry and jumped about five feet in the air. "What are you doing here," I asked as my heart pounded like crazy. He shrugged. "I sometimes go for a walk if I'm feeling a little stressed out," he said. "I saw Kankuro and he told me you might be here so I thought I might come see you."

"You really shouldn't have," I whispered while shoving things on the ground in random bags. Gaara bent down to help as I quickly tried to do everything myself. "Um," he said with a blush. "Which bag does this go in?" I looked over to see him holding the strapless black push up bra with red lace around the edging. I thought of just closing my eyes and pretending this wasn't happening. Maybe I was just dreaming and really back in the Hidden Leaf Village…"Suki," Gaara said.

"Just put it in any one," I practically shouted. Sumi was trying her hardest to keep herself from laughing while she helped pick things up. "Hey Gaara," I heard another voice say. "I didn't think I'd see you here." Looking up, I saw a girl with short brown hair and dark brown eyes walking towards us. "Matsuri," Gaara said while getting up. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my day off," she said with a smile as she took Gaara by the arm. "Can I talk to you privately for a sec?" Gaara nodded as she pulled him away. "That's Matsuri," I said while sitting there in my gloom. Sumi nodded and helped me up. "Yup; you know her?"

"Well I haven't seen her for a while but I was on the team that helped save her back when she was kidnapped," I whispered. Thinking back to that time, I remembered when he quickly kissed me before I blacked out. I found myself wanting that to happen again. _Don__'__t_, I thought as Matsuri reached out to touch Gaara's arm._Don__'__t__touch__him!_I gripped the bags as she placed a hand on his face, smiled, and walked away. I glared at the back of Matsuri's head as she walked away. If it could have, my glare would have set her on fire. Gaara turned and looked at me more confused than frightened. I didn't move from my spot as Gaara walked towards me until Sumi touched my shoulder.

"Are you okay," she whispered. "You look like your about to kill someone." I blinked and turned to face her. "I'm okay," I said in a cheery voice. "Why don't we bring this stuff back to Gaara's?"

"Sure," Sumi said with a small smile.

"Listen Sumi," Gaara said while taking the bags from her hands. "Why don't I take Suki home? I think Kankuro said something earlier about taking you out for dinner."

"As a date type thing," Sumi asked. "He knows I won't go out with him."

"No," Gaara said. "Just for fun I guess." Sumi shrugged. "Fine," she said. "But if he tries to kiss me it'll be on your head Gaara!"

"I promise," Gaara said. "I'll see you later Sumi." Sumi gave me a smile and nodded her goodbye to the both of us before walking away. I walked next to Gaara in silence on the way back to his place. "I was wondering Suki," Gaara whispered, breaking the quiet that surrounded us both. "If you could stay longer than the week you were going to stay."

"I'd like to Gaara," I said. "But they need me for missions back home."

"We could use you here," Gaara said quickly. I smiled and shook my head a little. "How would I be of any help," I asked. Gaara seemed to blush slightly as he swallowed hard. "Thing is," Gaara explained. "I sometimes need to attend certain functions as the Kazekage and I was hoping that you would like to go…with…me."

"Are you asking me out," I said playfully.

"No," Gaara said sort of stunned. "It's not like that at all. It would be like a mission since I need to have someone stand in as a guard for me." I laughed at the thought. "You need someone to guard you," I said with a smile as we entered the house and put the bags in the living room. "I find that hard to believe."

"Suki," he said while turning to face me. "I need it to be you."

"Why," I asked. "There are plenty of other ninja's to use. I bet Matsuri would go with you." Gaara seemed to grow angry at what I had said as I sat on the couch. "That's just it," he said with frustration. "If the Shukaku tried to take over me again then no one can do anything about it; except you." Gaara sat down next to me and looked me in the eye. My heart was pounding and I found it hard to breathe. "How," I whispered while looking away. Gaara wrapped his arms around me and held me close. "I don't exactly know," he whispered. "It's just that whenever you hold me close the Shukaku can't take over me. You're the only person that I know who can do that." I let out a small sigh and leaned my head against Gaara's chest. I could hear his calm heartbeat and his scent was overwhelming me. I felt so relaxed and comfortable. "Gaara," I whispered as I wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you for everything."

Looking up at him, I smiled as he lay back; I was so happy just to be held by him. Gaara closed his eyes and I moved slightly just to get more comfortable. His grip on me tightened a bit as he opened his eyes again and looked at me. "Please," he mumbled. "Just let me hold you a little while longer?"

"Sure Gaara," I whispered before closing my own eyes.

Gaara's POV

I felt Suki fall asleep on top of me a little while after I asked her if she would let me hold her for a bit longer. It felt so good to hold her close to me; it gave me the knowledge that she was safe and sound. Just before I felt myself drift off to sleep the cell phone in my pocket vibrated. I frowned as Kankuro's name appeared across the screen. "What is it," I asked in a low voice so as not to wake Suki. "I'm sort of in the middle of something."

"I don't think this is something that can wait," Kankuro said seriously. "We've got ourselves a problem and a big one at that." I sighed angrily and shook my head slightly. "Can't you figure it out for yourself," I asked.

"Listen pal," Kankuro yelled over the phone. "I don't care what your doing, but we may be under attack here! So get your butt down here and…"

"Gaara," Suki moaned in her sleep. There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. "Way to go Gaara," Kankuro yelled as I held the phone away from my ear. "I guess I should have said I don't care 'who' you're doing, but we really do have a problem. You think you can save that love until later?" I knew he was smiling perversely at the moment and I wanted nothing more than to hit him across the face. "It's not what you think," I hissed. "I'm coming so just hold on!" I pressed the hang up button angrily before Kankuro could make a perverted joke and looked at Suki's sleeping form. "I'm sorry Suki," I whispered before rolling over slowly so she was lying on the couch. "But I have to go now. I promise to be back soon."

I grabbed the blanket that was on the side of the couch and covered her. After getting up I wrote her a note and left it on the coffee table. I got myself ready quickly and looked back to Suki. Smiling a bit I walked towards her and knelt in front of her. "I love you Suki," I whispered before kissing her lips. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon." She smiled in her sleep and snuggled deeper into the blankets. "I love you too," I heard her whisper before I walked out the door. I closed my eyes and sighed, knowing that what she had said was meant for Neji's ears.

Locking the door behind me, I rushed off to find Kankuro's position. I found it soon and looked at him. "What's the status," I asked.

"Lord Kazekage," said the lead Jonin. "It seems that a member of the Akatsuki has infiltrated our village." I looked up towards the sky and saw a giant white bird flying around in the sky. "His specialty seems to be explosives and long range combat," Kankuro explained. I nodded as sand from my gourd gathered around my feet. "So," Kankuro started to say.

"Before you say anything disgusting Kankuro," I said while glaring at him. "Nothing was happening. Suki was asleep on the couch when you heard her say my name." Kankuro sighed and frowned as the sand started to lift me into the air. "Hang on a second," he said while grabbing my arm. I looked down at him sternly. "What do you want," I asked.

"Look," Kankuro whispered. "Don't get yourself killed out there okay? I'm being serious here; come back alive for Suki's sake." I felt my look soften and I closed my eyes. He really was being serious about this. "I will," I murmured. "You don't need to worry about me." Kankuro smiled and let go of my arm.

"So," said a blond haired man as I raised myself higher into the sky. "You're the Kazekage." I stared coldly at him as the sand from my gourd kept pouring out. "I'm only going to ask you this once," I said while clenching my fist. "Leave this village." The Akatsuki member smiled and tossed a small bird made of white clay at me. Sand came to my aid just before it exploded. "I see," I said. "Then let the battle begin."


	15. Chapter 15

Suki's POV

_I felt myself drift off to sleep and began to dream. I found myself in a grassy meadow surrounded by trees in the middle of the night. The grass had a luminescent look to it and the stars were shining brightly. "Suki," a voice said behind me. I turned to see Neji smiling and walking towards me. "Neji," I whispered. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I wanted to see you," he said while wrapping his arms around me. "I wanted you to know that I'm sorry and I still love you." I felt tears come to my eyes as Neji pulled me in for a sweet kiss. "Neji please," I said after pulling away. "I still don't know if I can forgive you."_

"_Do you still love me," he asked while brushing my hair from my face. Pressing his forehead against mine, Neji held me close as I gripped his shirt. "I…I do," I muttered. "I still love you so much, but I don't know if I can let you back in." I pushed him away slowly and fell to the ground with tears streaming down my cheeks. I felt wind blow as I cried even harder. "Don't cry Suki," a new voice said. "Please, it hurts me to see you sad." Looking up I saw Gaara kneeling in front of me as his hands cupped my face and he whipped away my tears. "Gaara," I whispered. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I wanted to see you," he said while helping me up from the ground. "I also wanted to tell you something important." Gaara wrapped one arm around my waist and placed his other hand under my chin. "What is it," I asked. My heart was pounding as his lips came closer to mine. "I love you Suki," he said. Before I could say anything Gaara kissed me softly. Automatically my arms wrapped around his neck as I pulled him closer to me. It was then that I realized it…I was in love with Gaara as well. I loved Gaara. He pulled away and let go of me. "Gaara," I said. "I don't…I…"_

"_I see," he whispered. "It's alright." Gaara started to walk away just before I could say anything. "I love you too," I shouted. "I love you Gaara." Gaara turned to look at me with a surprised look and then smiled. He extended his right arm and looked me in the eye. "Come with me," he whispered. Just as I reached out to touch his hand the wind started to rage while Gaara slowly became sand and blew away. "Gaara," I screamed. "Gaara!"_

I shot up from the sound of my own screaming voice and looked around. I was still on the couch, but now I was covered in a blanket and Gaara was gone. I looked at the note that was on the coffee table and read it. I started to relax a bit until I heard an explosion come from outside. Getting up off the couch, I ran towards the door and out to the streets. Everyone in the village was looking up at the sight of their Kazekage battling what looked like a giant white bird. "Gaara," I whispered. I ran back into the house and grabbed my ninja gear and headband. Just as I ran off as fast as I could to find Kankuro, I tied it to my head.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I finally found Kankuro with some other Jonin standing around doing nothing. "What the hell is going on here," I said as I screeched to a halt in front of Kankuro. He looked at me with surprise just as I looked back up into the sky. A smaller version of the giant bird was flying towards Gaara without his notice. I grabbed a small shurican out of my tool pouch and threw it at the bird. It exploded just as the weapon hit, and I breathed a small sigh of relieve. "What the," one of the Jonin's shouted. "Are you nuts? You could have hit the Kazekage!"

"Listen," I yelled as I turned to face him. "I didn't make the Jonin level in my village just because I've got a body! I made it because I'm skilled; maybe even more skilled than you!"

"Suki," Kankuro whispered while trying to calm me down as the other ninja growled. He placed a hand on my arm and gripped it tightly. I ripped my arm from his grasp and looked at him angrily. "I don't only just have my jutsu," I whispered. "I specialize in hitting moving targets. I can hit accurately from at least 500 feet away, depending on how large it is and if I have some sort of scope." Kankuro shook his head as I looked back up at Gaara. I saw him glance at me for a moment and then back at his opponent. "Can't we do something," I said looking back at Kankuro. He shook his head again and I felt myself grow angry. I hadn't really needed to ask though because it was obvious that they didn't want to hit Gaara. "Fine," I whispered as I thought quickly. "I'm helping him bring this guy down though."

I took a kunai from my pouch and tied some wire to it, then threw it up at the giant bird. I smiled as it missed just by a fraction and the kunai came down on the other side of the bird. The ninja that I had argued with earlier scoffed when he saw me miss, but the expression of shock came back to his face as the wire wrapped around the bird. "Ah, the joys of physics," I whispered as I pulled down on one end of the wire. It had wrapped itself on the tail end of the bird and it went right threw it. Gaara took the chance to destroy the plummeting bird as the other ninja jumped from it. He made an owl this time though. "Damn it," I shouted while retracting the wire. "Incoming!" The kunai fell to the roof with a clang and I wrapped wire back up. "What is this," I whispered while touching the white substance that was still attached to the wire. "Clay?"

"Looks like it," Kankuro said as he looked at it. "Well at least you got us a sample and helped destroy one of the birds." I looked back up at the ensuing battle just as something large began to fall towards us all. "Oh shit," I said. Everyone in the village was watching the sky as the thing came closer and closer. "Can't you hit it or something," Kankuro cried.

"I do that and the whole fucking city blows up," I shouted at him. "Either way I can't stop it!" Just as I said those words the thing started to explode and a thick layer of sand covered the whole village. After a little while there was another explosion and the sand that had been protecting Gaara started to pour uncontrollably downward. Gaara was barely conscious as he moved the sand he used to protect the village towards an embankment.

Everything was happening in slow motion as I ran forward screaming Gaara's name. I couldn't even hear myself screaming as Kankuro grabbed me and held me. I could see his mouth moving but I couldn't hear his words. I felt tears come to my eyes as I flailed around in Kankuro's arms. I just wanted to get to Gaara…but I wasn't able to. The other ninja was able to grab his now unconscious body and fly away. That was when everyone started barking orders and shooting big arrows at the owl. Tears fell and I suddenly stopped struggling against Kankuro's grasp. "No," I whispered. "He's gone…"

I turned around and started to cry my eyes out in Kankuro's arms. "Don't worry Suki," he said. "I'll get him back; I'm going to get him back."

"I want to come too," I whispered as Kankuro let me go and started to walk away.

"No," he said. "Just go home and wait for me to come back. You're not going to be able to fight in this state." No matter how much I wanted to protest, I knew he was right. I wasn't in the right state of mind…but then again neither was he. "Contact the Hidden Leaf Village," Kankuro shouted. "I'm going after Gaara!" He swiftly leapt to another roof top in pursuit as I slumped down to the ground. "Lord Kankuro," the lead Jonin shouted while following him. "Wait!"

"Suki," I heard someone whisper. I looked over to see Sumi standing next to me. "I was called in as back up," she said after she saw my questioning look. "I'll take you back okay?" I nodded as she helped me up and led me back to Gaara's house.

After Sumi finally left me alone, I slowly walked up the stairs and looked into Gaara's room. His scent was overwhelming; it was like he was still here in the house. I found myself ambling into his room and falling onto his bed. I curled up into a ball on top of the covers and hugged one of his pillows. The last time I had done something like this was when Neji was badly hurt from trying to find Sasuke and needed surgery. Tears started to fall down my cheeks before I finally fell asleep.

About three days later…

It's been three days and I hadn't eaten, slept, or spoken to anyone. I was too upset to do anything; all I did was help Sumi out at the hospital where Kankuro was. She was in just as bad shape as I was, if not even worse. When someone tried to talk to her she snapped at them so I was probably the only person that could get along with her at the moment. Poor Sumi had been raking her brain for some sort of cure for the poison that had affected Kankuro. It was no better when an old woman named Lady Chiio arrived. "You're relying on the Leaf Village to send some third rate medical ninja," she shouted when she found out about the reinforcements that were coming. I let out a low growl as she kept on bashing my village as Sumi put a hand on my shoulder.

"She's always been like this," she whispered as I took my headband out of my pouch and put it on. I waited for the old bat to turn around and see it just as Sumi yanked it off. "Who's that," Lady Chiio asked as I tried to take back my headband.

"This is Suki," Sumi answered just as she shoved my headband in her back pocket. "She's been helping me with trying to find an antidote."

"Seems like she hasn't been much help," Lady Chiio said. I was so angry that I didn't know what to say to the old bag. I just knew that I hated her more than anything else right now. "She has been a lot of help," Sumi countered while I pulled my headband out of her back pocket and put it back on. Lady Chiio and I stared at one another coldly just as Temari, Sakura, and Kakashi walked in. I put a small smile on my face and ran over to give Temari a hug. "Hey Suki," she said softly. "How are you doing?" I shook my head and looked at her. "I guess I shouldn't have asked that," Temari said with a smile. "You're probably just as bad as I am. Where's Kankuro?"

"He's over here," Sumi whispered. Temari looked over me and then rushed towards her younger brother. "Kankuro," she shouted. "Kankuro you idiot; what did you do?"

"He went after Gaara," Sumi said. "He's been in this shape ever since a scouting team found him." I let out a low sigh just as Lady Chiio ran towards Kakashi ready to attack. "The White Fang of the Leaf," she cried. "It is now time to have my vengeance!" I didn't really know what to do, but Shiranna stood in front of him as a blond haired boy that looked a lot like Naruto rushed in to attack. "Wait a minute sis," the old man that Lady Chiio had come with said. "That's not him. Remember when you found out he died you cried in frustration."

"Eh heheh," Kakashi said while rubbing the back of his head. Shiranna turned and looked at him angrily. "What did you do now," she asked.

"I didn't do anything," Kakashi said. "The lady mistook me for my father!" Shiranna shook her head and smiled at him lovingly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you did something to provoke her," she said. Kakashi let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Maybe you just want me to provoke you babe," he whispered softly.

"Can it," Shiranna said as he leaned in for a kiss. "We're on a mission now; remember? You were the one that gave up our hot spring vacation for this." I smiled a bit at the two, knowing that Gaara would be in good hands if they had come along. They may joke around a lot and seemed like they were only interested in each other, but they had good hearts and were really skillful. Gui once said that watching the two fight together looked like a dance and he wasn't far off. They could read each other so easily…maybe because they were in love with each other so much?

"Shiranna," Sakura said. "I think we've got our work cut out for us." Shiranna turned and walked towards Kankuro. "Hmm," she said. "Alright Sakura, we need tubs of water to extract the poison that we can."

"Yeah," Sakura said. "Okay, there are too many people in this room and we need them to leave!" I walked out of the room with Kakashi and the Naruto-look-a-like, as Sumi and some of the other doctors stayed in the room. "Who are you," Lady Chiio asked.

"I'm Sakura," Sakura said. "I'm a medical Ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. That's my superior, Shiranna." Shiranna smiled slightly and Sumi looked at her with surprise. I heard a bark as I sat on the floor next to the bench the others sat on. I smiled and looked at the white wolf that followed Shiranna everywhere she went. The wolf let out a little whine and sat in front of me. I pat her head and scratched her ears as she licked my face. "Suki, is that you," the blond asked. "It's me, Naruto!" I looked at the boy with surprise, and then got up to hug him. "Wow," he said looking me up and down. "You look really great! How are things going?"

"She hasn't spoken a single word since Gaara was taken," Sumi whispered as she walked towards us. "Kankuro should be better now. They said that they weren't able to take all the poison out but there's very little left; now they're going to make an antidote." Sumi looked very upset. It was probably because she couldn't do anything to help her best friend. I felt weak all of the sudden and fell to the floor. "Suki," Sumi shouted while helping me sit up. "How long has it been since you've slept?" I held up three fingers to show it had been three days, but it looked like I was holding up six or seven. "You idiot," she whispered.

"Has she at least eaten something," Temari asked as she walked over. I shook my head. "Your brother would kill you if he knew how bad you let yourself get," she said with a smile. "At least take this." Temari handed me a food pill and I took it. I guess it would sustain me but I still didn't feel hungry. I did feel sleepy though…I must have been so worried about Kankuro and Gaara that I fought it off in case I heard something good but now I really needed some sleep. "Hey Naruto," Temari said. "Can you help Sumi take Suki back to my place? I want to stay here longer with Kankuro."

"I'll make sure she gets there," Naruto said as he put one of my arms around his shoulder and lifted me up. Just as he and Sumi brought me home, I fell asleep.

I woke up in Gaara's bed and felt something warm and fuzzy next to me. I looked over and saw Shiranui next to me. "Hey sleepy head," Temari said as she walked into the room. "You've been asleep for about eighteen hours now; I came to wake you up." I pointed at Shiranui and Temari smiled. "Shiranna said that she thought it would be good for you to have her around. Some sort of therapeutic thing or something," she answered. "Silly dog hasn't left your side at all." I smiled and scratched Shiranui behind the ears. "You haven't spoken a word since Gaara left have you," Temari whispered. My smile fell and I shook my head. "Well the good news is that Naruto went with Sakura and that perverted old ninja with the grey hair," Temari said. I laughed at what she had said about Kakashi. She was right though, he was a bit of a pervert; although I guess he could be worse.

"I'm going to see Kankuro," Temari said. "Want to come with? He's up and about now." I smiled and nodded as the two of us went to see Kankuro. "Did you hear," I heard someone whisper in front of us as we walked to the hospital. "They're thinking of instating a new Kazekage."

"Yeah," the person that was with him said. "It seems only logical to me. If word of this leaks out to other nations we'll be attacked for sure."

"I don't know," the first person said. "I think we should wait until the Kazekage comes back. He is very strong and he's just the sort of person we need to run our village."

"I feel sorry for his siblings though," said a third person. "The Kazekage could be killed if it really was a member of the Akatsuki that took him. I've heard that the Akatsuki are very strong and are able to take out whole nations!" I looked over at Temari as she looked down at the ground hopelessly. I felt really bad for her and Kankuro and I was angry at the fact that they wanted to instate a new Kazekage. "I heard Lord Kankuro objected fiercely to the mention of a new Kazekage," the second one said. "He's such a brave young boy, just like his younger brother."

"Yeah," said the first person. "I wonder if those Leaf Village Ninja will be able to find him." I felt rage course through my body when I heard them say that. They didn't trust the Leaf village and the Sand Village was trying to pick a new Kazekage? In my mind Gaara was the best they had and they were just going to replace him? I wanted to go and help them…I wanted to bring Gaara back. This had to be my chance to help save him somehow. Running past the three people and Temari, I rushed to the hospital as fast as I could with Shiranui at my heels. I burst into Kankuro's room only to find him and Sumi alone together. "What is it Suki," Sumi asked while coming towards me. I just shook my head and ran away. "Sniff Shiranna out girl," I whispered as Shiranui gave a bark and ran in front of me. The two of us ran past nurses and doctors and almost crashed into a few of them on the way. "What in the world has gotten into you two," Shiranna asked as we screeched to a halt in front of her.

"I…" I panted. "I want to help find Gaara." Shiranna closed her eyes and sighed. "Suki I don't really think that's such a good idea…"

"I don't care," I shouted. "I want to see him!"

"I understand but…"

"Please," I begged. "If you won't help me I'll go after him myself!" Shiranna let out a low sigh again and looked down at Shiranui. "Ready for this girl," she whispered while patting the dogs head. She barked as Shiranna bit her thumb and made a few hand signs. "Demon form," she shouted as she drew a line of blood from Shiranui's head to the base of the wolf's tail. Shiranui transformed into a giant wolf and let out a howl. "Get on her," Shiranna said as she helped boost me up. "She'll get us there in no time at all. We'll probably make it to the others in the morning."

"That's how far they are," I asked. Shiranna nodded and got on behind me. "We have to get around some trees too since it's so dense in a few areas around here; it would take longer without her though."

"Okay," I said. "Let's get going!"

"Right," Shiranna whispered. "Let's hurry Shiranui!"

"I'll go as fast as I can," the wolf said. Shiranui was much faster than I bargained for. She was able to find Kakashi and the others just before they bunked down for the night. "Shiranna," Kakashi said as he saw us. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't let you have all the fun now could I," she muttered.

"How close are we to Gaara," I asked while jumping down from Shiranui's back.

"Very close," the wolf said. "I can smell him from hear…after resting here we should make it by daybreak."

"We should go now," I shouted as Sakura sighed.

"Suki," she said. "The rest of us have been traveling for a very long time and we should rest up. We need to be ready for anything."

"Fine," I said. "You guys can stay here. I'm going ahead with Shiranna and Shiranui!" Just as I turned around to get back on Shiranui, Shiranna slowly closed her eyes and slipped off. "Shiranna you fool," Kakashi whispered as he caught her. "You know you can't keep her in this form without using up almost all your chakra."

"Sorry," she whispered with a small smile. "I just wanted to get here as fast as possible…you don't have to worry so much though, all my chakra should be back by tomorrow morning." Kakashi smiled at her and kissed her softly through his mask. "I love you," she murmured softly, before passing out in his arms.

I felt like such an idiot then. I must have really tired her out and didn't even think about it. All that was on my mind at the moment was Gaara and I was so worried. All I wanted was to see his light turquoise eyes again, to have him hold me in his arms, to see him smile, to just be near him again, maybe even kiss him…for some reason that dream I had of him turning to sand just before I could reach out and touch him kept rushing back into my head. It was like my dream was trying to tell me something. I shook my head and thought of Gaara wrapping his arms around me once he saw me again.

Gaara's POV

Where am I?_I__felt__myself__think.__I__opened__my__eyes__to__see__a__bright__white__light.__I__could__see__a__figure__off__in__the__distance__and__I__could__just__barely__make__it__out._ Is that me?_I__thought.__It__turned__out__to__be__me,__and__someone__else__holding__onto__my__arm.__It__was__Suki.__The__figure__of__me__was__smiling,__and__it__seemed__happy__to__be__with__her.__I__felt__myself__wanting__to__hold__her,__to__tell__her__how__I__felt,__but__as__I__reached__out__to__touch__her,__another__figure__appeared.__It__was__Neji__this__time.__He__held__out__his__hand__to__Suki__and__she__smiled.__She__kissed__my__figures__cheek__and__then__took__Neji__'__s__hand.__Neji__held__her__close__and__kissed__her__sweetly;__soon__the__two__of__them__disappeared._No,_I__thought._Suki, I don't want to lose you…_I__wanted__to__shout__out__to__her,__to__let__her__know__that__I__was__in__love__with__her,__to__tell__her__I__didn__'__t__want__her__to__go.__I__was__so__afraid__of__losing__her__…__so__afraid__that__if__I__did__tell__her__she__would__reject__me.__That__was__when__the__light__started__to__fade__and__darkness__took__over__my__entire__body._


	16. Chapter 16

Suki's POV

"Are you okay," I heard Naruto ask as he sat next to me. I gave him a sort of half smile and hugged my knees to my chest. "I guess so," I whispered. "I'm just a little confused is all." Naruto gave me his signature grin and wrapped an arm around me. "Don't worry," he said. "Gaara's fine and we'll get him back."

"It's not that I'm worried," I said while looking at the ground. "I just don't want to lose him." I held back tears as Naruto looked at me confused. "Ya know," he said. "You're hard to understand sometimes Suki." I smiled as Naruto got up and stretched. "It's just another Nara quality," I said with a laugh. Naruto smiled back and then left to talk to Sakura. "It seems that something is troubling you young lady," said the old lady that had bashed me for being a leaf ninja. She sat next to me as I stared at her coldly. "I don't think it's any of your business," I said while looking away.

"You're probably right," she said. "I just want to know out of curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat remember," I growled. The old woman frowned and I got up and walked away from the camp. "Don't go too far," Kakashi warned me. I nodded and found a little spot not too far away where I could be alone. I leaned against a tree and used my shadow jutsu to create shapes. I smiled as I made the wolf one and had it run around on the ground. It reminded me of the time I was on my roof with Gaara and we made different things using our jutsu's. He had really liked the wolf one and that's what made me buy the snow globe I had seen the next day. I felt myself calm a little, until a fierce wind picked up and blew the loose dirt and sand everywhere. "Something's wrong," I whispered. My heart felt heavy and I wanted to let the tears flow. I felt as though I had lost something precious to me…as if someone I truly cared for had died. A feeling of wanting to scream welled up inside me as I walked back to the camp.

The Next Morning

"That looks like a five prong seal," Kakashi muttered as we arrived at the place Gaara was being held.

"Not good," Shiranna said. "How are we going to get in then?"

"Maybe we can be of assistance," Gui sensei said as he rushed towards us. I looked at Neji as his eyes widened. He didn't know where I had been and I hadn't talked to him since that night. "Suki," he whispered as I stared at him coldly. Neji ran over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I felt my throat close up and my fists clench. Kakashi was talking with Gui and Lady Chiio about a plan while Naruto greeted Lee and Tenten.

"Suki, I missed you so much," Neji whispered as he kissed my cheek. I took a deep breath and sighed as his grip on me tightened. "Let go of me Neji," I muttered. "Please."

"I don't want to," he murmured. "Do you have any idea what it's been like without you? I can't stand this. I need you with me Suki…"

"You should have thought of that before you slept with that girl," I shouted. "Do you have any idea what it was like to walk in and see her in your arms?" Everyone had stopped talking and was staring at Neji and me in awe. Even Naruto was speechless. I pushed Neji away and looked at his sad eyes. "You don't understand," Neji said. "If you would just let me explain…"

"There's nothing to explain," I screamed. "I know what I saw!" Sakura walked over to me and wrapped a caring arm around me to try and calm me down. "Please Suki," Neji begged. "I love you…" I almost rushed forward and punched Neji; that is, I would have if Sakura hadn't held me back. "Don't you dare say that to me," I shouted. "You never loved me because if you had you wouldn't have done this!"

"Suki, you must try and calm down," Lee said. "You could alert the enemy to our presence."

"I don't give a shit if I do Lee," I yelled at him. Lee looked like he was about to cry when I turned my anger at him. Now Naruto was holding me back since Sakura had begun to slip. "Let's stop all this arguing," Gui said. "Neji, we need you to detect the other four seals." Neji looked at me one last time and walked towards his sensei. I felt myself calm a little and finally Naruto and Sakura let me go. "Jeez," Naruto said. "What happened between you too?" Sakura smacked him over the head as Lee walked over to me. "Suki," he whispered, afraid to anger me even more.

"What is it Lee," I said. "I'm sorry about snapping at you by the way."

"I know what Neji did is wrong," he said. "But even so, he has been distracted during his training and has not been himself since you stopped talking to him. When you left and did not tell us where you were going, it took Tenten and I two days to get him out of his house." I felt myself look down at the ground and I shook my head. "I just don't know if I can trust him anymore Lee," I whispered. "I can't take him back right now; I have to figure a few things out first…"

"What is there to figure out," Lee asked. "Do you not love each other?"

"That's just it," I muttered while looking towards the cave Gaara was being held captive. "I think that maybe I'm supposed to be with someone else." I didn't want anyone to know how I was beginning to feel about Gaara; even I wasn't sure if I truly was starting to love him, but something inside me said that it was alright. It seemed to be saying that I had loved Gaara for a while but never realized it…but then again I kept telling that feeling I was still just on the rebound from Neji.

"Okay," Kakashi said as he handed me a headset and put another on himself. "This is what we're going to do. Suki is going to pull the seal off this boulder at the same time that Team Gui does. After that, Sakura will break it down in one punch. Is everyone ready?" I nodded as Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Gui disappeared. I took my position on the rock and waited for the signal. "Alright everyone," Gui said over the communicator. "Is everyone ready?"

"Ready Gui Sensei," Lee shouted.

"I'm in position," Neji said.

"I'm ready when you guys are," I whispered.

"Let's do this," Tenten said.

"Alright," Gui said. "On my mark; three, two, one!" I ripped the seal off and jumped from the boulder as Sakura ran forward and broke it with one punch. "We're in," Kakashi said.

"That's good," Gui answered. "It's just that now I have a little bit of a problem."

"I do as well," Lee said.

"Great," Tenten complained. "I hope yours isn't as big as mine is."

"It seems that we all have the same emissary to face," Neji said. "I don't think we'll be able to help you for a while Team Kakashi; please be careful." I knew what he was saying was directed more towards me than anyone else and just to prove my point, he whispered, "I love you Suki."

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Whatever." I was still so angry at him and I didn't want to forgive him just yet. Naruto placed a hand on my shoulder and looked toward the open cave. I felt my heart begin to pound at the thought of being in Gaara's arms again, to have him brush the hair from my face, to have him smile softly at me; but more than anything else in this world right now…all I truly wanted to do was run in there and wrap my arms around him so that I would know he was safe.

Everyone ran into the cave and stopped short at the sight of two Akatsuki members. There was one that had black hair and I assumed he was the one that Kankuro battled. The other was the blond that had kidnapped Gaara. I felt my fists clench as I looked at him and then at what he was sitting on. "No," I whispered. "It can't be…this isn't what's supposed to happen."

"Gaara," Naruto shouted. "Get up and fight Gaara!" I fell to my knees and looked at Gaara's body. "Naruto," Kakashi said. "We're to late…"

"Come on buddy," Naruto said. "Get up and get this guy for what he's done to you." The blond smiled. "The one that jumps in and barks first," he said. "Can't you see that you're friend here is gone?" He patted Gaara's cheek and I felt myself tense. I wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face and make him pay for what he did. "Get the hell off of him," I shouted while grabbing a kunai and rushing towards the Akatsuki member. Before I could reach him however, Shiranui stood her ground in front of me and growled. "Now that's a work of art," the blond said while looking at me. "Wouldn't you agree Sasori, my man?"

"She would make a good addition to my collection, Deidara," the other one said. The one called Deidara looked at the one called Sasori and scoffed. "Yeah right," he said. "The fire in her eyes could set off an explosion! She'd just rot away in your collection." I growled a bit and then threw the kunai in my hand at the blond. He looked at me with a smirk as he easily blocked the weapon. "That wasn't very nice," he whispered while getting up off of Gaara's body. "Although I must say that I like girls that are filled with such fire. Wait a moment…you were the girl that destroyed my first bird when I was taking your precious Kazekage…trust me when I say that I can please you much better than he ever did." I let out a low growl and grabbed the two small shurican I had in my tool pouch. They were attached together with a good length of wire so that if one dug itself into an opponent, the other would whip around and hit somewhere else while the wire tied them up just a bit. "Just give Gaara back," I muttered. "And just maybe I'll let you live…"

"Tough words from a girl like you," Deidara said with his smile widening. "I'd like to give him back but unfortunately I can't, unless…"

"Unless what," I asked as Naruto walked over to me.

"You have to catch me first," Deidara shouted as a clay bird swooped down and grabbed Gaara's body. Deidara leapt onto its back and as it flew off outside the cave. Kakashi, Shiranna, Naruto and I ran out after him. "So what's the plan," I asked Kakashi as Naruto rushed ahead of us.

"First we need Naruto to cool off," Shiranna said.

"Then we can formulate something," Kakashi said. "What can this guy do?"

"Well," I said. "He uses clay to make bombs and birds like the one up there. That's all I really know; but he did use a lot when he battled Gaara."

"Okay," Kakashi said. "That helps out some."

"Naruto," Shiranna called. "Slow down!"

"I'm not going to let him get away," Naruto shouted back. "We have to get Gaara back! He could still be alive!" My breath caught in my throat as Shiranna caught up with Naruto and stopped him. The thought that Gaara could still be alive was giving me a renewed sense of optimism. I wanted Gaara to be alive because if he wasn't…I didn't know what I would do. Gaara had been able to make me feel like myself again after what happened with Neji, and he was my best friend. Yet, I couldn't deny that the thing that was most driving me right now was the growing feelings of love I had for him.

"Now do you get it Naruto," Shiranna said as Kakashi and I caught up with them. "We need a strategy…and the one with the most experience in that area is Kakashi." Kakashi nodded as Naruto looked at him and signaled us to fall back a bit. "Are you sure," Shiranna asked. Kakashi seemed to smile and nodded again. "Don't worry about me," he whispered affectionately. "I'll be fine. Just keep an eye on Naruto."

"Okay," Shiranna whispered back. "But if you get hurt I'll never forgive you." The two smiled at each other as she fell back in line with Naruto and I. I looked at Shiranna, but then away after she looked at me. "What is it," she asked with a smile.

"I was just wondering," I whispered. "What would you do if you found Kakashi with another woman?" Shiranna looked at me with surprise, but then sighed. "I'd probably do the same thing you did," she said while looking ahead. "I would have run away from everything and everyone; but then again, something inside me might make me go back to him."

"Why would you," I asked. "It broke me to pieces when I saw Neji with her…what would make you go back to him?"

"I can see that you're asking me whether or not you should go back to Neji," Shiranna said with a laugh. "My love for Kakashi would force me back into his arms, no matter how much the rest of me protested. For me, life has no meaning without him. We've broken up a few times sure, but not for long. I think it's because the two of us belong together."

"Have you ever felt…love for someone else," I whispered.

"No," she said while looking at Kakashi. "I've loved him for a long time and I've never loved anyone else." I nodded and sighed. That was how I had felt with Neji at first, but then he hurt me. "That still doesn't mean he was meant for me though," Shiranna said surprising me. "There really could be someone else out there that I could love more, but I highly doubt it." I smiled at her just as Kakashi pulled his headband above his hidden eye.

Just as he did, this swirling vortex appeared and took Deidara's other arm. "Damn," he muttered. "I missed." Even though Kakashi seemed to be in pain, he was able to use the technique again, this time cutting the bird in half. Two Naruto's and I rushed forward to catch the head that Gaara was in, as another helped Shiranna with Kakashi. "Hang on Gaara," one of the Naruto's next to me said as he clawed at the clay. _Please,_ I thought while helping Naruto. _Please__ let__ Gaara __be __all __right__…_

I bit my lower lip as the clay opened up to show Gaara's body. Naruto let out a loud cry as my heart screamed. I felt it break into even smaller pieces than it had with Neji. The Naruto's and I pulled Gaara out of the birds head. I wrapped my arms around Gaara and held him close to me; I felt my throat close as I held back tears. The Naruto's watched me as I held onto Gaara's body and one of them put his hand on my shoulder. Inside I was wishing this was all a bad dream; that I would wake up next to Gaara and he would wrap his arms around me with a smile.

"I never got the chance to tell you," I whispered in his ear while slowly rocking back and forth. "I think I might be in love with you…" Just then, the Naruto's near me let out a cry of pain and gripped their heads. I looked down at the ground and there was the real Naruto; only, he was engulfed in a red chakra. The chakra took the shape of a fox with one tail. I watched as his teeth had become fangs and his fingernails were claws. "Naruto," Shiranna shouted as she jumped from the tree she and Kakashi had been in. Kakashi tried to grab her before she jumped, but watched in vain as she landed in front of the fox-like creature. It sort of reminded me of when Gaara had turned into that Shukaku demon…

Naruto turned to look at her with a huge scary grin on his face. I gripped Gaara's body tighter as he lunged at her, claws and teeth bared. "Please Naruto," she said after dodging his attack. "Calm down just a bit…look at me." Naruto lunged at her again and this time she didn't dodge his attack. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and tears fell from her eyes. "You're the only family I have left Naruto," she whispered as Naruto clawed and bit her. "I don't want to lose you too…I couldn't live with myself if I did. I love you." Naruto threw Shiranna into a tree trunk like a rag doll as one of the shadow clones near me disappeared. Shiranna was injured very badly and just as Naruto lunged at her again, Kakashi rushed forward and pulled her to safety. "Idiot," I heard him say as he placed her in a nearby tree. "You didn't need to do that."

"I just wanted to see if I could calm him down," she whispered. "I've been able to once, but he wasn't this far into the transformation. I thought that maybe a loved one would bring the real Naruto back to me." Kakashi just shook his head and pulled a piece of paper out of his tool pouch. After dodging Naruto a few times, he was able to place it on Naruto's forehead, locking his chakra. "Looks like we're going to be okay," the Naruto next to me whispered. "I wonder if Aunt Shiranna will be okay…"

"Aunt," I asked. The shadow clone nodded with a smile. "Not much of a family resemblance is there? Trust me, even though we have different hair and eye color, we have a lot of the same personality traits," he said before he helped me get Gaara's body down from the tree. Just as we were leaving, that blond named Deidara was able to make one last explosion before we could get far enough away. Thankfully, Kakashi's vortex thingy was able to get rid of it just in time. "Suki," I heard Neji say over the communicator. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"And everyone else?"

"Well let me put it this way; we're none the worse for wear."

"Good. Gui Sensei wants us all to meet outside the cave entrance," he said.

"Okay," Kakashi said as he helped lift Shiranna back to her feet.

The real Naruto was now helping me carry Gaara back to the cave entrance. We laid his body down on the grass and I felt tears come to my eyes again. "Suki," Neji whispered as he came close to me. "I'm sorry; I know you cared for him deeply." I glared at Neji and he had the good sense to back away from me as I knelt behind Gaara's body. I gingerly placed his head on my lap and bent over to press my forehead against his. It felt cool to the touch and the tears I had held back for so long came flying out. Sakura tried healing him, but wasn't able to do anything. "Shiranna," Naruto whispered. "Can't you bring him back?"

"I would Naruto," she said. "But I don't have the chakra or the strength to summon back his soul. He's…he's also been gone to long for me to be able to call it back."

"It's not fair," Naruto screamed. "All he wanted to do was protect everyone and he has to die?" He went on a rant about how Gaara had just wanted to belong, and that he had been alone all his life. "Please Gaara," I whispered, hoping that no one else would hear; tears streamed down my cheeks as my throat closed. "Come back to me…you belong with the people who love you. I love you. I love you so much…" That was when Lady Chiio knelt next to Gaara's body. "I just have one question for you young lady," she muttered to me so no one else would hear. "I need to know; do you truly love this boy?" I looked up at her and nodded slightly. "I'd do anything just to look into his eyes again," I mumbled looking down at his face. Lady Chiio nodded a little. "Do you love him because he's the Kazekage," she asked.

"Why would that matter to me," I whispered.

"Why do you love him then?" I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. "I don't really know," I whispered. "When I first met him, everyone including him, thought he was a monster. I just thought he was alone and needed a friend. I was able to jump all the hurdles and barriers he had set up and became his friend, and for some reason or other…somehow the feelings I had for him deepened. I didn't really realize it until now…"

"I see," Lady Chiio whispered as Naruto continued his rant. "Have you kissed him before?" I blushed a bit, and then nodded. "What does it feel like," she asked.

"It makes me feel feverish," I mumbled. "I feel like I can fly, yet my feet are glued to the ground at the same time. It's electric and my heart just won't stop pounding. It must sound weird to you, but it feels so right to me…"

"You truly love each other then," she whispered. I felt myself blush again as she placed her hands on his torso. "Take good care of each other then," Lady Chiio said.

Gaara's POV

_I__ could __see__ light__ again __and __something __in__ front __of __it__…_Is that my hand, _I __thought. __It __turned__ out __that __it __was.__ "__Gaara,__" __I __heard__ someone __call.__ "__Gaara!__" __I__ turned __around __to __see__ a __young__ version __of __myself__ standing__ next __to __a __young __boy __that __looked __like __Naruto__…"__Gaara,__" __another__ voice __said.__I __looked __to__ the__ left__ of __me __and __there __was__ Suki, __smiling __at __me.__ "__Suki,__" __I__ whispered.__Her __smile __grew__ as __she __took __my __hand.__ "__Please __Gaara, __come __back__ to __me,__" __she __whispered.__ "__You__ belong __with __the __people __who __love __you.__" __I__ stared__ at __Suki __and __ran__ a __hand__ through __her __midnight __black__ hair.__ She __smiled __softly __and __slowly__ pressed __her__ lips __against __mine.__ "__Gaara,__" __she __whispered__ softly.__ "__I __need __you __to __know__ that __I__…"_

"_We thought you were done for," a grown up Naruto interrupted while I looked to the right of me. The light grew brighter and then…_

I opened my eyes to see myself surrounded by at least a hundred sand ninjas. "What's going on here," I asked. I looked over to see Naruto next to me with a huge grin on his face. "They all came to help you," he said. "It looks like they were all worried about you."

"You had us all worried little bro," Kankuro said with a smile as he walked up to me. Temari knelt down next to me as I sat up. "You two shouldn't be taking this so lightly," she shouted. "Gaara is the Kazekage you know!" She pushed Naruto out of the way and looked me in the eye. "Are you alright Gaara?"

"I'm okay," I said. "You don't need to worry about me so much."

"You think we were worried," Kankuro said as he gestured behind me. "You should have seen how worried she was." I tried to turn around a bit but I couldn't just yet. Whoever was behind me got up and sat on the other side of me. "I'm so glad that you're okay," said a sweet voice. I looked into the eyes of Suki and she gave me a sad smile. "Suki," I whispered. I blushed as she threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "You jerk," she shouted as she started to cry some more. "I thought I'd never see you again! I was so worried about you, thinking I had lost you forever and I realized I…" Before she could say anything else, she was shoved away by Matsuri and one of her friends knocked Naruto away. Temari was able to block Matsuri and her friend, but I wasn't able to get up and speak with Suki since Neji was helping her to her feet. I couldn't help but glare at him as he spoke with her and when he touched her cheek I felt rage build up inside me. It made me smile when she walked away from him and came back over to help me to my feet.

Suki and Kankuro helped me back to the village where everyone was waiting. Just as soon as they all saw me, there was cheering and shouting. "Now that's what I call a warm welcome," Suki said with a smile. "Seems like people really love you here." I smiled a bit and had them take Lady Chiio into the village first as everyone stood there for a moment of silence. Afterwards, I was taken home to rest.

Later…

I woke up from a nap and realized it was now midnight. While getting up to go get something to eat, I heard voices from Suki's room and decided to listen from the outside of her room. Her door was opened just a crack and I was able to look inside without being noticed. Suki was sitting on the bed while Neji stood in front of it. A part of me wanted to see what was going on, but the other wanted me to burst in there and kick him out of my house. "Look Neji," Suki said in a shaky voice. I could tell she was crying. "Just go okay? I don't want anyone to wake up and find you here."

"I'm not going anywhere until you listen to me," Neji said while walking over to Suki and sitting next to her. "What you saw, it's not exactly what you think."

"Really," Suki said with a scoff. "Then what was it that I saw Neji?"

"A shadow clone of me," he whispered. "I was told by Lady Tsunade to be the escort for a very important client. That girl was the client."

"Is this really the best you could come up with," Suki asked in a hurt tone.

"Listen, she kept coming on to me and I finally decided to let her get what she wanted, only I used the clone as a double."

"Then where were you," Suki whispered.

"At a bar getting myself as drunk as possible," Neji murmured. "You can ask your father because he was there at the bar that night as well."

"Neji…"

"I'm not asking you to forgive me Suki," he said. "I'm begging you. You have no idea how empty my life has been with you gone…I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Suki whispered as Neji wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss just to have her turn her head away. "But…I don't know if I can let you back in just yet…" Neji nodded and stood. "I understand," he said. "Just know that I love you more than I've ever loved anyone." Neji walked over to the window and then turned to look back at her. "Are you coming back with us tomorrow?"

"I think so," Suki said. "I'll see you in the morning alright?" Neji nodded and left. Ever so slowly, I crept back to my room, replaying the whole scene in my head. I wasn't quite hungry anymore and I lay back down on my bed. So, in the end she would go back to Neji…damn him. He thought his life was empty without her? Did he have any clue just how much pain I endured knowing that the girl I wanted so badly was in love with him? Did he know how hard it was being near her knowing I couldn't hold her the way I wanted to? Did he think it was easy, knowing that she would never love me the way I loved her?

Suki was everything to me and I needed her here, but now she was leaving because of him; because she was in love with _him_. I punched my pillow next to me in anger and frustration. There was nothing I could do to make her stay anyway; she had made her choice to go back home.

The Next Morning…

I was now sitting behind my desk looking at the ninja's that had helped me earlier. "You sure you don't want to stay longer," Kankuro asked. "It might be a good idea so you can rest up."

"We really should get going," Shiranna said. "We need to report this to the Hokage right away."

"We should be going now," Gui said. "What's taking so long?"

"Suki is coming with us," Neji said. "She's still not here yet." I closed my eyes and sighed heavily as Temari placed a hand on my shoulder. "Sorry I'm late," said a voice as the door to my office slammed open. "I sort of overslept…" I looked at Suki's smiling face and she looked away. "Right," Kakashi said. "Since everyone is here now, we should visit Lady Chiio's grave to pay our respects before we go." I stood up and followed everyone to the grave site. Suki had brought some lilies with her and placed them on the ground in front of the headstone.

"You're really going to let her go," Kankuro whispered as we watched them all say their silent goodbyes. I nodded slowly and looked at the ground. "I can't force her to stay here," I whispered. "She would have left eventually." The leaf village ninja all turned to go, but for some reason, Suki stopped after she passed by me. "I guess I'll see you again sometime Gaara," she whispered as I turned to look at her. "I'll write you a letter as soon as I get home okay?"

"Alright," I said. She seemed sad, but she managed to smile at me anyway. Suki turned around again and headed off toward everyone else. After saying goodbye to everyone, I went back to my office. After a long while of trying to concentrate on my paperwork, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," I whispered.

"Gaara," Temari said as she entered, followed by Kankuro. "We just wanted to check up on you and see how you were."

"I'm fine," I said while looking at her confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason," Temari said. "It's just that…we thought you might be a little upset."

"Why would I be upset," I asked while putting down my pen and folding my arms across my chest. These two weren't very discreet when they were up to something. "I don't know why," Temari said.

"Oh would you please stop tip toeing around the subject like he's some baby, Temari," Kankuro shouted. "Listen, we saw the look on your face when she left!"

"You're point is," I said while glaring at them both. Kankuro looked like he wanted to beat the tar out of me and Temari was still trying to be as delicate as possible. "I think you should have asked her to stay just a little bit longer," Temari whispered.

"Yeah right," Kankuro scoffed. "You should have made her stay!"

"How would I have done that," I yelled at him. Kankuro glared at me and slammed his hands down on my desk. "By telling her what's so blatantly obvious to everyone else but you two," he yelled back. "That you love her!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I hissed.

"Oh come on," Kankuro said. "It's obvious you care for her. When ever she's around you can't keep your eyes off her, you moan her name practically every night in your sleep; I'll even bet a thousand bucks you think about her all the time. You could have at least told her that you had feelings for her. She deserves to know!"

"You don't think I tried," I shouted while getting out of my chair and walking over to my brother and sister. "The only reason I didn't was because she's with someone else! The only person I've ever cared about loves another man and there's nothing I can do about it…do you think I like seeing her with him? Do you think I want her to be with someone that has already hurt her? You think it's easy to tell her how I really feel?"

"You really want to know what I think," Kankuro said in a dangerous voice. "I think you had your chance and you blew it little bro!"

"Get out of my office," I yelled as I pushed them both out. "Get out and don't come barging back in!" I slammed the door in their faces and walked back over to my desk. Anger raced threw me as I shoved all the paperwork I had on my desk onto the floor. "Damn it," I whispered. "I know he's right, but I just don't want to admit it…" I wanted Suki to stay, but I had been too stupid to ask her. I knew I wouldn't see her again for a long time and I hated that more than anything. I wanted nothing more than to have her here, holding her in my arms where I knew she would be safe; a part of me wished that I had told her how I felt. Maybe then she wouldn't have left, but then again, she loved Neji more than anything else in this world. Nothing in this world could bring her back to me now. Just then, I heard the door to my office open and shut again. "I thought I told you two to get out," I shouted while whirling around to face my siblings.

"Oh," whispered the one who entered. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you Gaara…" My eyes widened as I looked at her. "Suki…" I whispered.


	17. Chapter 17

Suki's POV

After leaving the sand village, I slowly walked along side Naruto, Sakura, and Shiranui. "You look down in the dumps," Naruto said as he poked me. I looked up at him and then smiled. "I'm fine Naruto," I said. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"Then why have you been watching your feet this whole time while Neji is up there with Tenten," he asked. I put on a fake smile and shook my head. "Just tired I guess," I said. "I didn't get much for sleep last night." Which had been partially true; I wasn't able to sleep last night ever since Neji left me alone. I was up thinking about how I didn't want to leave; not seeing Gaara at all anymore made my stomach clench and my heart break into small pieces. It took me until five in the morning to convince myself I should leave since Gaara still wasn't completely healed and because I was a distraction from his work. Besides…he had Matsuri and his family with him.

"Suki," Naruto said while interrupting my thoughts again. "Did you want to stay?" My eyes widened and I shook my head quickly. "No," I lied. "I didn't want to stay. I'm happy to be going home…because I'll be with Neji…that's why I'm happy."

"For some reason I don't believe you," Naruto said before walking a bit faster so he could catch up with Neji. I watched the two of them talk a little before Neji looked back at me. Looking down at the ground again I stopped for a moment to take a drink of water. Suddenly the wind blew and sand flew around me for a moment. _Suki__…_I heard Gaara's voice say in the back of my head. _I__need__you__to__know__…__I__love__you._

The words from my dream shocked me and I couldn't move. "Don't say something so wonderful," I whispered while closing my eyes. I imagined Gaara's arms wrapped around me as he smiled and held me close. I thought of him pressing his lips against mine and I felt my whole body tingle. Why didn't he ask me to stay when he found out I was leaving? I wanted him to so badly but he didn't. Maybe he didn't need me around like he had said he did before, but I felt a strong need to go back just for a second…just to see him one last time…"Suki," I heard Neji's voice whisper.

"Huh," I said as I opened my eyes to look at him. "What is it?"

"Are you okay," he asked. "You look upset."

"I'm not upset," I lied. "I'm fine."

"Promise," Neji said. I nodded and then thought of the perfect lie to go back. "Oh you know what," I said with a fake smile. "I forgot something back in the sand village…I'm going back to get it okay?"

"Do you want someone to go with you," Neji asked, hoping I would. I shook my head. "No," I said. "You guys go on ahead and I'll go get it."

"Is it really that important," Gui Sensei asked as he caught up with us. I nodded and turned back to the sand village. "It's fine," I said. "I'm still on leave anyway." Gui nodded and I swore that Shiranna smiled at me knowing exactly what I was up to; she had been helping Gui carry Kakashi behind us. I smiled back at her and she shook her head. "You know," she said, "I think that whatever you're going back for is the right choice." I blushed as she laughed. "Remember," she whispered. "I've felt the same way you do for a long time and I don't think I'd be able to survive without it." Gui looked at her confused and then adjusted Kakashi's arm a bit. "I'll never understand women as long as I live," I heard Gui say as I ran off.

I was a little out of breath when I reached the village gates, but I kept running until I was outside Gaara's office. "Suki," Temari asked as she looked at me shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"I forgot something," I said while trying to catch my breath. Temari smiled deviously at Kankuro and they both nodded at each other. "If you forgot something," Kankuro asked. "Why are you here at Gaara's office instead of our place?" I thought of another lie quickly. "I don't know exactly where it is and I think Gaara does," I said with a blush.

"What is it, a diaphragm?"

"Well he is sort of busy," Temari said while hitting her brother over the head harshly. "Why don't Kankuro and I help you look for it?"

"I'd rather ask Gaara if he has it," I said. Temari shrugged and nodded before walking away with Kankuro. "Oh and Suki," Kankuro called as he looked back at me. "Next time, just stay as long as you want okay? Don't leave unless you really want to." I tried to protest but the two were already gone. Sighing, I opened the door to Gaara's office and saw Gaara standing with his back to me. "I thought I told you two to get out," he yelled as he turned to face me.

"Oh," I said a little stunned. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you Gaara…"

"Suki," he whispered while walking over to me. "What are you doing here? I thought you…"

"I forgot something," I interrupted him. "Funny thing is, I don't remember what I forgot…" I felt myself blush and my heart was pounding. Why was it so hard to be around him now? What was making me feel different when I was with him? "I may as well go then since I can't remember what I left behind," I whispered. "If you find something that could be mine, let me know okay?" I didn't really understand why I came back. Yes I wanted to stay but I needed to hear him say that he wanted me to stay. That would never happen though; it wasn't like Gaara to ask something of someone else. I just shook my head as I turned to go and just as I opened the door a crack; Gaara placed his hand on it, making it shut again. "Stay," I heard him whisper. I felt my breath catch in my throat again as he slowly wrapped his arms around my waist. "Please?"

It took me a while to say something, seeing as I had become melted to the spot and I couldn't even make a sound. "But I may be needed for missions back home," I muttered while my heart pounded beneath my chest. _What__is__wrong__with__you,_ my brain shouted. _You__got__what__you__wanted__and__yet__you__'__re__still__going__to__play__hard__to__get?__Stop__being__such__a__fool!__You__should__grab__him__and__kiss__him.__Tell__him__you__love__him!_

Gaara's grip on me tightened at first, as if he didn't want to let me go, but soon he let go of me and walked back to his desk. "If that's what you want to do I won't stop you, but we could still use your skills here," he said as I turned to look at him. I smiled as he gestured for me to take a seat opposite him. "How," I asked as he smiled back at me.

"I did tell you once that I have to attend meetings and things since I'm the Kazekage," Gaara said. "We don't have many ninja's that can be used as bodyguards around here, so I was hoping you'd consider taking the job." I nodded, remembering the time he had first asked me. That had been the night he was kidnapped by the Akatsuki…my heart sank at the thought. I wasn't able to help him then, so what makes him think I could now?

"How would I be of help as a bodyguard," I said. "I'm not too great at protecting you." I smiled a bit at the joke, but Gaara's frown made me think twice about laughing out loud. "As I understand it," he said in a serious voice. "You did a first rate job of helping rescue me and you also actually did something to help me when I was fighting with that Akatsuki member instead of standing around watching like everyone else did." I shrugged at his words, though they were true. Even back home Lady Tsunade would put me on missions as a bodyguard or something to that affect since I was quick to think and agile. Actually, I was a great bodyguard and was often requested as one by those I'd guarded in the past. It seemed that the only person I couldn't guard correctly was Gaara and I had no idea why!

"Well," I finally said, making my decision. "If it's alright with Lady Tsunade, I'll be happy to help Gaara."

"Good," Gaara said with a smile. "Now all I need to do is find the correct paperwork to fill out and..." The two of us looked down at the mess of papers on the floor near his desk and I laughed. "What's so funny," Gaara asked as he started to pick a few of them up off the floor.

"It's nothing really," I said with a smile as I got down on my knees to help him. "I just never thought of you as a disorganized person."

"I'm not really," he whispered. "It was just an accident is all…" I let out a small sigh as I picked up the last piece of paper. It sliced threw my thumb as I placed it down and blood trickled out. "Ow," I mumbled as I inspected the fresh cut.

"May I see," Gaara asked before taking my hand. He looked at it carefully, and then gingerly licked the blood from my thumb. Looking in his eyes, I felt weak in the knees. Slowly, Gaara placed his arm around my waist while still holding my hand in his, and pulled me even closer to him. "G-Gaara," I whispered while my heart pounded beneath my chest. His lips gently touched my own and the pounding of my heart increased. My arms flew around his neck as I practically jumped into his own. I had never felt this feeling before; there was no way to describe it.

Our lips danced together with a song of passion flowing through them. His lips were so soft and warm; sort of like the sun on a warm spring day. I didn't want this kiss to end at all, but he suddenly pulled away abruptly and looked at me sadly. "Suki," he muttered. "What about…"

"I don't care," I whispered while shaking my head vigorously; thinking he was talking about Neji. "I don't care; I just know that this is what I want right now…just kiss me…" Gaara opened his mouth to say something, but I shut him up by kissing him again. Instead of protesting like he should have, Gaara's arms tightened around my waist and he threw me up against the wall. His lips left mine as he slowly made his way down to my collarbone. My head flew back as I let out a small moan, and my fingers gripped his soft red hair roughly. This made him grunt in approval as he pressed me up against the wall even more and lifted me slightly off the ground. I moaned again as he gave another sharp bite, making my body feel weak.

I didn't know how Gaara was able to make me feel this way, but it didn't seem to matter. I wanted him; I needed him, because Gaara was able to make me feel happy, he made me feel whole and I felt I could be myself around him. I hoped this feeling wouldn't stop, that this would just go on forever but a knock issued from the door, shattering the peaceful world I had been drawn into.

Quickly, Gaara pulled away and walked back to his desk. "Come," he said after I had made myself look more presentable. Matsuri entered with a scroll in her hand. "Lord Gaara," she said urgently. "A message came to you from the land of tea!" Gaara nodded as she placed the scroll on his desk. She looked at him lovingly and I felt my heart start to crumble. "Thank you Matsuri," he whispered before opening the scroll. I looked down at the floor and then decided that maybe I should go. "I think I'll go and um…unpack," I muttered before grabbing my bag. I couldn't have been stupider. When he stopped kissing me the first time, he must have been trying to tell me he was with Matsuri. I should have known better…the fact that I now felt as thought I had used him in some way wasn't making me feel any better.

"Suki," Gaara said while putting down the scroll before I had a chance to sneak out. "It seems that I need you for a mission sooner than I expected. I'll fill you in on it when I get home; is that all right?"

"Sure Gaara," I said with a blush. "I'll see you later." Gaara smiled and nodded as I left his office. After reaching Gaara's house and unpacking, I lay down on his couch and waited for him to get home. My mind was still on the kiss we had shared and my face grew red. I was so stupid to think that someone as wonderful as him could be single, and to think he might be interested in me was even stupider! "Gah," I shouted while shoving a pillow onto my face. I just need to clear my head and stop thinking! "Hey," Kankuro said in a worried voice as he passed by. "What are you up too?"

"Nothing," I said as he leaned over the couch. "Just trying to see if I can't breathe through this pillow…what are you doing?"

"I'm about to go have dinner with Sumi then we're going to see a movie," he answered. I smiled deviously and he sighed. "You going on a date," I said with a laugh. Kankuro smiled a bit as I sat up and he sat next to me. "No," he said. "She's not that into me."

"You sure about that," I asked. He nodded and frowned just a bit. "I've tried before, but she's shot me down. We are great friends and I like being her friend, I just want more," Kankuro said. I looked away from him and down at the ground. Somehow, I understood what he was saying. It was how I felt with Gaara…some part of me wanted to be with him so badly yet I know all he saw me as was a friend. I mean, we'd been best friends for almost four years.

"I've kissed her before too," Kankuro went on as I went beet red. "And it's not what I would have thought it would have been like." My blush deepened at the thought of the first time I kissed Gaara. I had no idea that it would be so amazing. "Is it that bad," I asked with a smile; trying to stop thinking about my first kiss with Gaara. Kankuro looked down at the ground and shook his head. "It's more than that," he whispered. "The first time I kissed her was because we had been playing spin the bottle at a friends' party about seven years ago. The feeling it gave me was so different. My heart starts pounding and there's this electric feeling that passes through me…I feel like I can't move, yet it still feels like…"

"Like you're flying high in the sky," I whispered, knowing the feeling he was talking about. It was the same feeling I got whenever Gaara and I kissed each other. "Yeah," Kankuro said. "You probably know all about it. It's the feeling you got from Neji right?"

"Not really," I said a little too quickly.

"Then who gave you that feeling," Kankuro asked with a smirk. "Was it Gaara?" I blushed and shook my head, hoping I could lie my way out of it. "No way," I said while trying to laugh. "Gaara? He's not the one that did; besides, I've never even kissed Gaara. It was the guy I shared my first kiss with."

"And who was that," Kankuro asked.

"Choji," I said. "He's been my brothers' best friend since we were five. Our fathers are pretty close as well, and Choji is like my own brother now." I knew I was lying, but I couldn't let him know…he'd tell Gaara right away and I didn't want that to happen. Kankuro just shook his head and sighed. "See, that's what I'm afraid of," he said. "I've known Sumi since I was like five and you'd think I look at her the same way I look at Temari, but she's more than that for some reason."

"I understand," I whispered. "Neji was four when we first met and we still ended up falling for each other. It may not have worked out but the first person you fall in love with usually doesn't end up with you for the rest of your life." Kankuro nodded as Gaara walked in the room. "Suki," he said. "I've finished the paperwork and it's on its way to Lady Tsunade, but it seems that I need your services sooner than expected."

"What kind of services," Kankuro asked in a mocking voice. I blushed as Gaara glared heavily at him. "Suki's agreed to be my body guard when I attend certain functions," Gaara answered. "It's nothing like what your perverted mind is thinking."

"I'm sure," Kankuro said with a smirk. "Just remember to protect her as well…" Before Gaara and I could say anything, Kankuro raced out of the room and into the kitchen. "I really hate him sometimes," Gaara muttered as he sat down next to me. "Did you unpack?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Good; well we need to talk about this mission."

Gaara's POV

I watched Suki leave my office as Matsuri sat down in one of the chairs in front of my desk. "What is it Matsuri," I asked while putting down the scroll. She bit her lower lip and then looked down at the ground. "I was wondering Lord Gaara," she mumbled. "If maybe you'd like to go out again sometime?" I paused and thought about it for a moment. It wasn't that I didn't like Matsuri; I thought she was a good person and I felt lucky to be her friend, but I didn't think that it would be good if I went out with her again. "Perhaps Matsuri," I whispered, not wanting to say no outright. She nodded and got up from her seat. "I'll see you tomorrow then Lord Gaara," Matsuri said as I got up to walk her to the door.

"Good night Matsuri," I said. Before leaving, Matsuri plucked up the courage to kiss me. A blush grew on her face as she raced out of my office, probably hoping I wouldn't hold it against her. After closing the door to my office, I leaned up against it and sighed. "I'm sorry Matsuri," I whispered. "I don't think I feel the same way you feel. I don't know just yet what this feeling I have for Suki is."

Suki…My heart sped up a million miles a minute just from hearing myself say her name. Why had I kissed her earlier? What possessed me to do something so foolish? How could I have done that to her in the first place? Wasn't she trying to fix things with Neji? Where was that feeling I felt when I kissed her coming from exactly? What in the world had possessed her to say something like 'just kiss me' in that sexy voice? Just the thought of her saying that again made my arousal come back.

These questions and more raced around in my mind while I worked on the papers I would have to send to Lady Tsunade. I hoped she wouldn't make a huge deal out of this. It may be true that there were plenty of able ninja's here that could act as my bodyguard, but none of them could help me the way Suki had been able to. Not only had she been of help to me when I was fighting that Akatsuki member, but she was able to help me suppress the Shukaku. Plus, I knew I could trust Suki with my life; it wasn't like I didn't trust my own men at all, I just felt she would never do anything to betray me.

Sighing, I brought the papers to one of the faster messenger birds and tied them to his leg. After watching him fly off, I decided it may be the perfect time to walk home to talk to Suki about the mission. I knew I hadn't received the papers from Tsunade saying I could use her in missions, but this one was important. One of my spies said that the lord of the land of tea was feuding with the lord of the land of rivers. I didn't want the two lands to break out into war so I may as well visit the two and designate myself the peace keeper. You never knew if someone was behind the scene trying to cause a war, so it would be a good idea to take Suki with me.

I finally made it home and found Suki talking with Kankuro on the sofa. "Suki," I said. "I've finished the paperwork and it's on its way to Lady Tsunade, but it seems that I need your services sooner than expected."

"What kind of services," Kankuro asked in a mocking voice. I glared at my brother as he grinned. "Suki's agreed to be my body guard when I attend certain functions," I answered. "It's nothing like what your perverted mind is thinking." Kankuro's stupid grin widened more. "I'm sure," he said. "Just remember to protect her as well…" Before Suki or I could say anything, Kankuro raced out of the room and into the kitchen. "I really hate him sometimes," I muttered as I sat down next to Suki. "Did you unpack?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Good; well we need to talk about this mission," I whispered. I averted her eyes because I didn't want to be drawn into them like I had before. "Are you okay Gaara," she asked. I shook my head and looked down at the ground. "I'm fine," I said. "I need you to come with me to the land of tea and the land of rivers. The lords of both lands are feuding with each other and it may turn into a war. I have to go and stop them before innocent lives are lost and I'm in need of your assistance." Suki smiled and nodded. "Okay," she said. "I've helped Tsunade with this kind of thing once before. I don't think it'll be such a big deal."

"I hope your right," I said with a smile. "The thing is; both of the lords have a thing for formal clothing so I'll need you to wear a kimono." Suki nodded slowly with a small blush on her face. "I don't think I've ever worn one," she whispered. "I'm not the dressy kind of girl. I usually just wear pants or shorts…heck the only time I wore a skirt was when I lost a bet with Shikamaru."

"You've never worn one," I asked. Suki just hung her head in shame and shook her head. "No," she whispered. I sighed and grabbed her wrist. "Come on," I said while standing up. "We're going to go get you one." Suki blushed as Kankuro came barreling down the stairs. "I'll take her," he said. "I'm going to meet Sumi anyways."

"Can I trust you with something like this," I asked. "Why can't we all just go?"

"You can trust me," Kankuro said. "Besides, I think it would be better if Suki had a girl help her out instead…"

"That still doesn't answer my question," I said. Kankuro sighed; I knew he was up to something, I just didn't know what yet. "Fine, you can come," he whispered while flipping open his cell to text Sumi. Suki stood up and sort of smiled at me. "She says to meet her at the restaurant," Kankuro said. "There's a store that sells kimono's near by, but she said that she wanted to take Suki alone."

"Fine," I groaned. I realized that I still had Suki's wrist in my hand and let it go quickly. "Sorry," I whispered to her.

"Its fine," she said while smiling. I smiled back at her as she took my hand in hers once more and we heard Kankuro let out a groan. "Are we going to stand here all day or are we going out," he asked. I quickly looked away from Suki while letting go of her hand and nodded. "Then lets go," Kankuro said. After walking half the way to the restaurant, the three of us spotted Sumi and she rushed over to join us. "Okay," she said with a huge smile. "Suki, you and I are going to that store right now. I can't wait to see how pretty you'll look!"

"I don't know," Suki said with a smile. "I'm not used to dressing in a kimono and I've never really been one for dressing up."

"Oh come on," Sumi said while placing her hands on her hips. "You're gorgeous now, so a kimono will only accentuate your beauty! I'm sure you'll be turning a few heads once you wear it."

I shook my head and watched Sumi pull an unwilling Suki away towards the store. "So," Kankuro said with a smile. "How are things going between the two of you?"

"What are you talking about," I asked while sending him a glare. My older brother just smiled more and then put his arm around my shoulder. "I'm talking about you and Suki," he said in a whisper. "Did you tell her yet?"

"Tell her what," I asked.

"How you feel you idiot," Kankuro practically shouted. I blushed and looked down at the ground. Shaking my head, I sighed heavily. "There's no way I could tell her," I muttered. "I still don't know what it is I feel exactly."

"Ugh," Kankuro said while slapping his face. "Let me ask this. How did you feel when she walked into your office?"

"I thought I was dreaming," I whispered. "I still can't tell if this isn't just a wonderful dream." Kankuro slapped the back of my head hard and let out an aggravated growl. "Ya feel that," he said while I nodded and rubbed the spot he hit. "Then you're not dreaming! Suki really did come back, and she came back for a reason! What did you do when you saw her?"

"Nothing," I said. "We just talked, that's all."

"The two of us were talking before you came home and Suki said you guys kissed," Kankuro said with an evil smile.

"She told you that," I shouted. Kankuro's mouth almost dropped to the ground. "You really did," he said. I blushed and shook my head quickly. "We didn't," I lied. "I told you nothing happened."

"Then why are you blushing," Kankuro asked. "You really did, didn't you?" I looked away as my blush deepened, but I knew he could tell I was being dishonest. "What was it like," he pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said. Though deep down, I knew it had been just like the first time we had kissed. There was nothing horrible about it, in fact it was one of the best feelings I had ever felt; the other one being the one I felt when I held her. I wished that I could do those kinds of things whenever I wanted but…her heart belonged to someone else.

Shikamaru's POV

"So why did Lady Tsunade call us to her office," Neji asked as I placed my hands behind my head. I looked over at dad and sighed. "Obviously none of us know," dad said as he folded his arms. I smirked at his answer. The two really hadn't gotten along after he found out what had happened between Suki and him. It was true that he hadn't slept with that other girl, but that still didn't mean he should have used a shadow clone to do her instead.

"I'm sorry to call the three of you here," Tsunade said as she entered her office. "It's just that I thought it would be best if I'd discuss this situation with the three of you before I signed the proper paperwork."

"What's this about," Neji asked.

"It's about Suki isn't it," dad said before sighing. "What did the troublemaker do now?"

"Did something happen," Neji cried. I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "If anything happened to her I'd have known about it by now," I said. "Twins have an innate ability to notice if something is wrong with the other." Dad laughed a bit as Neji looked at me with anger. It was true though, every time something happened to either of us, we knew about it right then and there. "Suki didn't do anything nor is she hurt," Lady Tsunade said before Neji could interject. "Although this is about her; the Kazekage sent me word that he'd like to employ her as a body guard. As the three people that are most important to her, I wanted to know what your thoughts were."

"Little troublemaker," dad whispered with a smile. "She's very good at guarding people and the like. I always figured she might join the Anbu or something, but if this is what she wants to do then it's fine with me."

"Who would she be protecting," I asked.

"The Kazekage himself," Lady Tsunade answered. "As I heard it, she did a good job trying to stop the Akatsuki from taking him and a fine job as a part of the rescue team."

"Well, as I hear it, she wasn't even supposed to be on the rescue team," I said with a shrug. "But, if she's going to be with Gaara, I don't have any complaints. He'll make sure she's safe, no matter what." I truly believed that as well. Gaara really seemed to care for Suki and always made sure she was safe.

"That's two yes'," Lady Tsunade said before looking at Neji.

"I can't believe you'd let her do this," he said. "No. There's no way. What if something happens to her out there? She's always had trouble with too much heat from the sun…she belongs here, this is where her family is and the people who love her!"

"If you loved her, she wouldn't have gone to see Gaara in the first place," I said, although I much preferred Gaara over Neji.

"I admit what happened was a huge mistake on my part but I still love her," Neji shouted. "And I know she still loves me!"

"If she does then she's being stupid," I said. "I've told her before and I'll say it to you now, I never liked you Neji."

"It seems to me that you don't care about her," Neji said in a dangerous voice. "If you're as smart as they say you are then you'd know what kind of danger she's in. That guy has a monster inside him and he can't control it. How do you know he won't hurt Suki?"

"Because he loves her," said a new voice. All of us looked over to see Temari walking into Lady Tsunade's office. "Look whose back," I whispered.

"Miss me pineapple head," Temari said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes at her. She had picked that up from Suki and was now calling me that. It was annoying yes, but I could live with it. "That's a laugh," Neji said. "He doesn't love anyone."

"Afraid you might lose my daughter to him," dad asked with a smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's put the moves on my beautiful daughter by now…"

"Dad," I groaned. "I thought you hated it when guys hit on Suki."

"I do," he said. "It's just that I wouldn't be surprised if he was doing such a thing."

"Gaara's not really the type to do that Mr. Nara," Temari said. "He's a little shy about that sort of thing, but he does care for your daughter."

"How do you know," Neji scoffed.

"He's protected her plenty of times," Temari answered while glaring at Neji. "She means the world to him and I know she's got feelings for him."

"He could never love her," Neji said. "He's even said so himself that he doesn't love anyone."

"I'll be damned," dad said, off in his own little world. "That stupid prophecy was true…"

"What are you talking about dad," I said with a sigh.

"Remember son," he answered. "The Shadow shall fall for he who can not feel love; yet he, in turn, will love her as well."

"What's that mean," Temari asked.

"It's just an old saying in my family," I answered her. "It has to do with a girl that can manipulate the shadows like we do and she's supposed to fall in love with some guy that can't love her, but he does. It's kind of weird really…thing is the second half about him loving her wasn't added on until later. Everyone in the clan thinks it has to do with Suki."

"Why?"

"Generally speaking," Dad said. "Women in our clan can't manipulate shadows. Suki's the first one in about six or seven generations. I had no idea she could move shadows until she was about three. Damn did it surprise the hell out of me!"

"Is that true," Temari said.

"Yeah," I said. "I remember when we first found out she could. Dad was trying to show me the hand signs, and she copied them exactly. Dad thought I had moved the shadow at first. He was really surprised when we found out that it was her. In fact, he tested her dozens of times over just to make sure it wasn't some fluke." Temari smiled a little and shook her head.

"That's two against one," Tsunade interrupted, obviously annoyed that we were taking up all her time. "Suki will stay with Gaara and help him with missions."

"Sounds fine," Dad mumbled. "Now to go home and tell the old lady. What a drag…"

"She'll probably cry and start throwing things like she did when Suki went on that really dangerous mission," I added. "Come on Temari, I'll help you check into that hotel again."

"Great," dad said at the thought of telling mom. "I'll call you when I need help cleaning up the mess." I smiled, knowing he would like the last time this happened and walked out of Tsunade's office.


	18. Chapter 18

Suki's POV

"I couldn't believe it when Kankuro told me you came back," Sumi rambled on as I followed her around the store. I could tell the manager knew I wasn't the sort of person that belonged in a kimono shop. She kept giving me cold hard stares and rolled her eyes every time she thought I wasn't looking. I wasn't exactly the dressy type and I guess I didn't look it either, but that still didn't give her the right to judge me. "Suki," Sumi said while pulling me from my thoughts. "Did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "What did you say?"

"I asked you how things where going with Gaara," she repeated. I felt myself blush as Sumi went about looking at kimonos. "I don't think I understand what you mean," I said with wide eyes.

"It's obvious something is going on between you two," Sumi said with a smile. "Give me the dirt."

"There's nothing going on between Gaara and me," I shouted. "We're just friends! Besides, I'm not his type." Sumi looked at me with surprise and then laughed. "You're totally his type," she said. "He absolutely loves you Suki. When ever he got a letter from you or something, he would just go on and on and on about you. It's hard to get him to stop, trust me…" I frowned at the comment. Gaara just loved me as a friend, not the way I wanted him to. "How about this one," Sumi said while pulling a gorgeous light mint green kimono with pink and blue flowers at the bottom and the left sleeve. There was also a dark green hemline on the bottom and left sleeve as well. "I like it," I said. "I just don't know if it would suit someone like me…"

"Cut it out," Sumi said with a smile. "It'll look great on you! Here, try it on."

I sighed, but did as she said. It turned out the kimono really did look good on me, though I didn't know if anyone else would think so. I happened to be a little self conscious when it came to my looks. It didn't have to do with the fact that I thought I was too fat or anything; I just thought I wasn't the prettiest girl in the world. "You done," Sumi asked as she knocked on the dressing room door.

"Yeah," I said. "Don't laugh at me when I come out though okay?"

"Come on it can't be that bad," she said as I stepped out of the dressing room. "Suki you look beautiful!" I looked at myself in the mirror and shrugged. "I guess its okay," I whispered.

"Don't you like it?"

"I love it, but I don't know if anyone else would like it on me."

"Gaara wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off you," Sumi said with a smile on her face. I blushed about ten shades of red and looked down at the ground. "Why did you say that," I asked as she took a picture of me on her cell.

"Just because I know you would want to have his opinion," she said. "Don't show that to him either, I'd rather he was surprised."

"Why?"

"Well to be honest," Sumi said with a shrug. "For this kind of thing Gaara usually brings Temari or Kankuro and when he attends an important function where a date is required, he'll take Matsuri who isn't really that pretty. Don't get me wrong, I think she's a cute sisterly type but frankly, I can't see those two as a couple."

"I think that they don't look to bad together," I whispered. Inside, I didn't think that at all, but Gaara just might be in love with her. Even if I felt love for Gaara, I couldn't get in the way of someone else making him happy. That wouldn't be fair. "You're just saying that 'cause you're so nice," Sumi said with a smile. "Now go get changed and we'll go meet up with the guys."

After changing and finding Gaara and Kankuro, Sumi and I sat down to join them. "So," Gaara said. "Did you find one?" I nodded as Kankuro and Sumi winked at each other. "What was that about," I whispered to her. Sumi just shrugged a little. "Nothing," she said. "I'm starved. What should we get?"

"The sushi boat looks pretty good," Kankuro said while handing her a menu. "It should fill us all up."

"When are we going on that mission Gaara," I asked while looking at the ground.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow," he whispered. "It'll be very early in the morning, so be sure to get a good nights' sleep." I nodded slowly, but a part of me dreaded the fact that I had to be up so early. Like my brother, I enjoyed my sleep and wasn't really happy about getting up until at least ten. After letting out a small sigh, I heard Kankuro place the order and my stomach let out a low growl. "Oh pipe down," I mumbled. "You'll be fed soon."

"You okay Suki," Sumi asked. "You look a little pale…"

"I'm fine," I said while looking up at her with a smile. "I'm just hungry is all…" After eating our dinner, Kankuro said he would walk Sumi home, leaving Gaara and I all by ourselves. "What time are we officially getting up," I asked, still dreading the thought of getting up in the wee hours of the morning.

"I think three should be good," Gaara said. "That way we can be out by four and beat the desert heat." I shrugged a little. Well, if there was one thing I couldn't deal with, it was heat. I'd rather get less sleep if it meant being cooler for a longer period of time. "I'll even make some coffee," Gaara said with a small smile.

"That sounds good," I said while smiling back. "Shika always used to say that I was a huge grump in the early morning unless I had something caffeinated to wake me up." Gaara let out a small laugh as the two of us continued to make small talk for a little bit. "Hello there," said a new voice from in front of us. "My names Boca, what's yours angel?"

I stopped and looked around for the person he was talking to, only to have him walk over to yours truly. "Ummmm," I said. The guy laughed and shook his head. "You're a very good looking chick, but like most of them you don't have much for smarts do you," he said. "That's okay, I actually prefer you that way." I could feel Gaara tensing next to me as I stood there, a little insulted; okay, a lot insulted. I could care less if you made fun of me for the way I looked or what not, but I did pride myself on my smarts. One more wrong move from this asshole and there would be hell to pay.

"Why don't you and I dump this loser over here and we'll go have some fun," he whispered in my ear while placing an arm around me. That did it. "You know," I said while executing the correct hand signs. "I'm not that stupid…in fact, I never scored below a ninety five while in school. Although I really don't like to brag about that sort of thing, but when you insult one of my good friends, I get a little angry." I grinned as hands made of shadows found their way around his body and squeezed him like an anaconda. One of them I had placed tactically over his mouth so he couldn't scream while another crushed him in a place where the sun don't shine.

"Now then," I said with a smile. "I'd like you to say that you're sorry to the two of us or I'll rip off your little friends down there and make you eat them." After letting him go, the guy fell to the ground and fainted from the pain. "You are very scary sometimes Suki," Gaara said with wide eyes. I smiled a little bit and stepped over the guy. "I know," I said. "I was kinda hoping you didn't see that side of me, but I guess it had to show itself sometime."

"Well if you hadn't done anything," Gaara said while catching up with me. "I certainly would have. No one has the right to say things like that to you." I laughed a little. "That's just it," I whispered mainly to myself. "I didn't attack him because of what he said about me; I attacked him because he called you a loser. I could really care less about what others think about me, but when it comes to someone I care about I become very angry."

"There is only one comment he made that I completely agreed with," Gaara said while smiling at me.

"What one was it?"

"You are a very good looking chick." My eyes widened as Gaara let out a small laugh and ran from me. "Get your butt back here Gaara," I yelled while running after him. "You'll be sorry when I get my hands on you." I knew that I was blushing and that I really liked the fact that Gaara thought I was cute, but I still didn't want him to know my true feelings for him. I wanted him to think that we were good friends because I knew if I told him I liked him, he would reject me.

The Next Morning…

I yawned sleepily as the alarm went off. Unhappily, I slammed my hand on the button and threw the thing against the wall, causing it to break. Yawning again, I rolled back over and started to fall back asleep before I heard someone come in. "Go away," I moaned. "Five more minutes…"

"Come on Suki," Kankuro said. "Gaara sent me to get your ass up."

"Tell him I wanna sleep," I mumbled while snuggling into the covers more. Kankuro groaned and turned on the lights to get me up. "You didn't just do that," I whispered while placing the pillow over my eyes.

"Come on," Kankuro said while tugging the blankets off of me. "Don't make me use my chakra strings to get you out of that bed." At that notion, I threw the kunai I had kept under the pillow next to me right above his head, cutting a few hairs. "The next one will be right between your eyes," I said in a dangerous voice. "Now let me get some sleep!"

"Well I'll tell him I tried," Kankuro said. "I hope you know that he's already packed everything and is ready to go." I just groaned at his comment as he left. The idiot left the lights on and made such a racket going down the stairs, which made me get closer to my breaking point. "Suki," I heard Gaara's sweet voice say as he entered my room. "I have a cup of fresh coffee waiting for you downstairs."

"That does sound tempting," I muttered. "Although for me it's not really tempting enough." I heard Kankuro laugh in the doorway. "Told you she wouldn't get up for coffee," he said. "Maybe we should call Neji and see how he used to wake her up."

I blushed as I thought of all the times Neji would pull me in for a sweet kiss to wake me up. It actually worked; I'd get up in a good mood and would be happy most of the day. Whenever I was upset or angry at someone or something, Neji had always been there to hold me close and then he would give me a kiss. Now that I thought about it, I sort of missed having him wrap his arms around me with that smile of his. I felt sand start to envelope me and it brought me towards Gaara. I could tell he hadn't used a jutsu, since he seemed as surprised as I was when it placed me in his arms. "Maybe I should leave you two lovebirds alone," Kankuro said before leaving the room.

"What do you mean by that," Gaara shouted as I just stood there with a blush. "Get back here Kankuro!"

"Since I'm now up," I whispered. "I may as well get dressed right?"

"Hmm," Gaara said. "Oh, yeah; we should leave soon." I nodded and got dressed and packed as quickly as I could. After rushing down the stairs I grabbed the cup of coffee and met Gaara outside. "Hey," I said. "You ready?"

"I am," he said. As we were about to start off, Kankuro came out and gave something to Gaara. I watched as he handed his little brother a brown paper bag. Gaara looked into it and threw it back at his laughing sibling. "Should I even ask," I said as Gaara walked by me angrily.

"I don't want to talk about it," he muttered. I shrugged and followed him out of the village and into the desert. We had been walking for about nine hours straight and the sun was beating down on me. "Gaara," I mumbled. "I think I need a little rest…" He turned around and looked at me; I knew he would be used to the desert heat but the sun and I weren't exactly on speaking terms. "Suki," Gaara said a little worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Before I could move forward a bit, I felt the world spinning around me and blacked out.

Gaara's POV

Quickly I caught Suki in my arms and made a small half dome shaped shelter with sand. "Come on Suki," I whispered while kneeling down in the sand. "Don't do this to me now…" Grabbing my water bottle, I squirted water out of it onto her forehead to cool her off. I placed her gently on the ground and ripped off my shirt sleeve. Drenching it in cold water, I placed it on her head. "Wake up Suki," I said with worry. "We're almost to the land of rivers. We'll stay at a nice hotel soon and I promise you'll have your own room with air conditioning."

She still lay limp in my arms and I lifted her off the ground again. "Well, we're about a ten minute walk away from there and once we reach the forest I know you'll feel better," I whispered while getting up and walking once more; in fact, I was sure of it. I felt like such an idiot for making her walk so long. Suki wasn't used to the desert heat like I was and I should have stopped to make her rest more. Then again, she could have at least told me that she needed a rest. I shook my head with a small smile. Suki would never have said anything; she was always putting someone else before her.

It had been at least three hours before she began to stir in my arms. I had just gotten to the middle of the dense forest and was about to take a break. "Suki," I said with a smile. "You're awake." She blinked a few times before blushing as I set her down slowly. "Where are we," she mumbled.

"The land of rivers," I answered. "I'm just so happy you're all right." I pulled her into a tight hug and felt her arms wrap around my back. I could tell she was clutching my shirt with her hands in a futile attempt to hold me closer. Something was bothering her, but I didn't press it and just held her close. It felt good to have her close to me again, but she soon pulled away with a blush. "What's wrong," I whispered.

"Nothing," she mumbled while getting up. "It's just that, you saved my life just now and I really appreciate it." I allowed my self to smile a little and shook my head. "You'd do the same thing," I said.

"Well I would because I…" She paused. "Because you're my friend Gaara." I gave her a small smile and she blushed. She looked down and got up to stretch. "Okay," she said. "How about we start up again?"

"I don't know," I said. "I just stopped for a break when you woke up."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "You carried me all the way hear didn't you?" I smiled and shook my head. "Well I wouldn't have been able to do it any other way," I said. Suki let out a giggle and sat next to me again. "How much further until we reach the inn," she asked.

"About four more hours," I answered. Suki sighed and leaned her head on my shoulder. Automatically, my head rested on top of hers and I felt myself blush when she took my hand in hers. "I'm sorry that I didn't stop for a break in the desert," I said. "I should have known that you're not used to it like I am."

"It's actually despicable of me," she said with a laugh. "I mean, I'm a ninja and I can't even survive in a different environment." I smiled and shook my head while looking at her. "Despite it all, you're still a great ninja," I said.

"Well you can think what you want," she said while getting up and stretching once more. "I still think I'm not as great as some others."

"Name one," I said while getting up as well.

"Let's see," Suki said. "There is this one ninja I know that's one of the best and I know I can't even compare to."

"And who's that," I asked.

"The Kazekage of the Sand," she said with a smile. I laughed and shook my head again. "I'm not going to argue with you, but I think we're at the same level." Suki just rolled her eyes and didn't say anything else. "Want to get going," I asked. She nodded and we started out again.

We reached the inn about an hour ahead of schedule, but I knew the two of us were spent; especially Suki, even though she tried to make up for lost time. "We'd like a room please," I said to the lady behind the counter. She looked up at me and sneered. "I should hope so," she scoffed. "This is an inn after all, and I don't believe we rent out anything else." The lady was glaring at Suki and I rolled my eyes just a bit. "If it's at all possible," I said as kindly as I could. "We'd like one with two beds."

"You'd like that wouldn't you," the lady muttered. "I'm afraid the only two rooms we have left are on different floors." I sighed and shook my head. "There should be a reservation," Suki said while glaring at the lady. "It's for Kusanagi."

"Kusanagi," the lady said. "Ah yes, I spoke to your brother-in-law on the phone madam. It's the honeymoon suite on the second floor, room 206." Suki and I looked at each other and blushed. "Are you sure," I asked in a rushed voice.

"Yes," the woman answered. "Your brother insisted sir; he also left you a message saying that 'You can thank him later,'." I took the key and looked at Suki, who looked like she was about to crawl under a rock. "I'm sorry," she whispered as we left the desk. "Kankuro said that he'd call ahead and the reservation would be for Kusanagi."

"It's okay," I whispered. "I'll deal with him when we get back." After opening the door, I blushed at the heart shaped bed and looked over at the small red loveseat in the corner. "I'll um…I'll take the couch," I said while placing my bag on top of it. Suki was standing in the doorway with wide eyes. "Suki," I asked while walking over to her.

"I…I…I don't believe this," she said. "I shouldn't have mentioned the reservation and taken the other room."

"It's alright Suki," I said with a smile. "I'd rather we were in the same room anyway just in case something happened, but I would much rather have had two separate beds…" She nodded slowly and walked towards the bathroom. "I'm going to get into my pajamas," she said. "God I just know it's going to be just as bad as the room…" I shook my head with a smile and closed the door, then started to change.

Just as I had pulled out the pants I would wear, I heard Suki let out an aggravated cry. "I'm going to kill him," she screamed. I assumed she meant Kankuro and after changing, I waited forty five minutes before wondering if something had happened to her. "Suki," I asked while knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I think I'll just sleep in here tonight…"

"What," I said. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Oh no," Suki said. "It's actually quite comfortable in here, so don't worry about me."

"Suki," I said, now getting aggravated.

"I think I'll just lie down in the tub."

"Suki!"

"I'll be fine; I'll use one towel as a pillow and another one as a blanket."

"Either I'm coming in or you're coming out," I said with frustration.

"No," Suki cried. "Don't come in here!" I ignored her plea and forced open the door, only to wish I never had. She was wearing a tight red negligee that stopped just below the hip area and if that wasn't enough, it was strapless with a very low V shaped neckline and had black lace trimming the edges. Suki glanced down and blushed, then looked away. Looking down, I realized that my arousal was showing horribly. "I'm sorry," I said while turning away from her. "I had no idea…"

"It's fine," she mumbled. "I didn't pack this, Kankuro did. I usually sleep in a loose t-shirt and boxers." To my astonishment, what she said about the t-shirt and boxers aroused me even more. "Maybe I should sleep in another room," I said. "If my being here bothers you."

"I know you won't try and take advantage of me though," she whispered. "Plus I'd feel a bit more comfortable knowing the person I'm supposed to be guarding is safe."

"I highly doubt that anyone would come after us right now," I said. "I'm going out to get us some dinner; stay here okay?" Suki nodded with a blush on her face. I closed our room door behind me and sighed deeply. "Damn you Kankuro," I muttered before walking down the hall. "I'm not lusting for her; I'm in love with her." I had to admit that after seeing her like that made me want to do things to her that I had never done to anyone in my life. A part of me wanted to just hold her close and kiss her sweetly, while another wanted me to rip that nighty off of her and savagely bite at her body. The only thing keeping me from doing all that was sheer respect and Neji. The thought of him made my blood boil. He had better love her just as much as I did, or more, if that was even possible.

After grabbing the food, I slowly walked back to the room. Once I reached the floor I heard Suki scream. Without a second thought, I ran into the room and saw a drunken man holding her down on the bed. "Get the hell off her," I shouted while running towards them. I was able to punch the man, causing him to lose his grip on her. Suki was able to push him off to the floor and grabbed hold of my shirt, crying her eyes out. I held her close when another man walked in. "Damn it," he said. "I've been looking all over for you Tessi!"

"What is going on here," the lady from the front desk said as she entered the room as well.

"I'm sorry," the man said. "My name is Kei Kusanagi. My brother, Tessi, went out for a few drinks and obviously walked into the wrong room."

"Oh my," the woman said. "I forgot we had two reservations under the name Kusanagi. My husband is now running the desk and must have sent your brother to the wrong room." Suki continued to sob and my grip on her became tighter. "That is still no excuse for what happened," I shouted. "He tried to take advantage of Suki!"

"I can't say that I have any sort of excuse for what my brother did," the man said with a deep bow. "I ask for your forgiveness; I know his wife wouldn't show him any."

"Just get him out of here," I said while looking down at Suki. The man nodded and left with his brother and the woman that had been behind the counter. Once the door closed, Suki looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "When the door opened," she whispered. "I thought it was you…but then he started to touch me." If I ever came across that man again I'd kill him. "It's okay," I said while running my fingers through her hair. "I'm here now; you don't need to worry."

"Oh Gaara," she muttered. "I was so scared." For some reason, I was reminded of the night I first kissed her. I had been so jealous of Neji being able to hold her, but now it was me that was holding her…I knew she would be safe as long as she was with me. "It's okay," I whispered before kissing her head. "I promise that I won't let anything happen to you; now get some sleep." Just as I was getting up to go to the couch, I felt her grab hold of the back of my shirt. "Where are you going," she whispered.

"Uh…I was going to sleep on the couch," I said. I felt my self blush as she tugged at my shirt. "Sleep with me," she mumbled. "Please?"

"What," I almost shouted. I whirled around and looked into her innocent eyes. My blush deepened as I tried to look away, only to look down at her breasts. She stood up and walked toward me. I backed up, thinking that she was about to make the first move. I finally hit a wall and she wrapped her arms around me as I tensed. "Suki, I don't think…" I said in a nervous voice. I was expecting her to kiss me, but she just laid her head on my shoulder. "You've slept next to me before," she said. "Remember? Once after we watched Paranormal Activity and the other time I fell asleep on top of you while we were lying on the couch."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, I thought you meant…um…"

"Gaara," Suki said with a laugh. "I didn't mean it like that." I nodded and felt better; well, that was until I saw the sly smile on her face. "Although, if you wanted to," she whispered in my ear while wrapping one of her legs around one of mine. "I wouldn't object." She pressed her body right against mine and nipped my earlobe. My face was probably as bright as the sun at this point. I could feel one of her warm hands reach up my shirt as she slowly grinded against me, and as her lips came closer to mine, I knew I couldn't take it anymore. "Stop," I said as I pushed her away and looked into her eyes. "I don't want you to do this to yourself. You still love Neji; it'd be wrong to do something like this because you'd regret it later and besides…"

"Gaara," Suki said with a small frown. "I was just bluffing." I could feel my heart rate slow down when she said that. "I know," I said with a smile. "I just didn't want you to go to far." Suki nodded and turned around again. "I'm going to go to sleep now," she said while lying on the bed.

"I think I'll go take a shower so I won't have to in the morning," I said. "That way you can take your time tomorrow morning." Before hearing her reply, I rushed into the bathroom and leaned against the door. "I can't believe all this," I muttered. "This is all Kankuro's fault. He doesn't understand that I want to take my time." Then again, I knew I was probably taking too much time. The thing was, if I had even let her kiss me once, I would have thrown her onto that bed and taken her. I had to keep reminding myself that she still had Neji, that he was the one she loved. If only she knew how much I loved her…

After I had taken a very cold shower, I walked out to see Suki curled up on the bed. I smiled, and walked over to her. Sitting down on the bed, I kissed her cheek and took in her scent slowly. God I loved her so much…"I love you Suki," I murmured. She smiled and snuggled into the sheets more. I sighed, knowing was probably dreaming of Neji or something. Lying down next to her warm body, I wrapped an arm around her slim waist and fell into a deep sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Suki's POV…

"I love you Gaara," I mumbled to myself as I sat up; I heard the water start to run in the bathroom. "I don't know why but I do…" I could still feel him holding me as I cried in his arms. Neji would hold me tenderly as well, but he'd kiss me to stop me from crying. I knew that Gaara wouldn't have dared kiss me, but I felt that he would let me cry in his arms as long as I needed to.

The way he held me and the way he lightly ran his fingers through my hair…I lay back down on the bed and sighed. The truth of the matter was that I didn't know why I had come on to Gaara so strongly. It had started out as a prank because he actually thought I wanted him to have sex with me instead of just sleeping next to me; but once our bodies touched, something inside me triggered. I wanted to pull him onto the bed and let him take me. I could have cared less if he was gentle with me or not; I just knew it would be right, because…it always felt right when I was in his arms and during those rare times when we kissed.

Now that I thought about it, if he hadn't said anything before I kissed him, I wouldn't have stopped. That wouldn't have been right either; if he really was in love with Matsuri like I thought he was, then that would have seriously hurt their relationship. Slowly, I rolled over and felt myself want to cry. I wouldn't let myself though. I had cried enough tonight and I'd been crying a lot recently. I was sick of being the 'crybaby' as my brother would so nicely put it. I needed to be strong for Gaara's sake. If anything else happened to him, I would never forgive myself. Yawning, I stretched a bit and then curled up to get some sleep.

_I opened my eyes to find myself back in the field, where Gaara told me he loved me…sitting up, I took a look around only to find out I wasn't alone. "Suki," whispered a voice. "It's alright; I'm right here." Looking behind me, I saw Gaara kneeling behind me with a smile on his face. "Gaara," I said while my heart pounded; partially out of fright, but out of happiness as well. "What's up?"_

"_Not much," he said. "I just want to thank you Suki, for everything you've done for me." I was confused; I mean, I hadn't done very much for him. "I don't think I understand," I whispered as he wrapped his arms around me._

"_You saved my life and now you're helping me with missions," Gaara said while looking down at the ground. I took a deep breath and sighed. "You act as though I'm someone important to you," I whispered, knowing that I probably wasn't that important to anyone at all. Gaara shook his head and looked me in the eyes. "You're wrong Suki," he said. "You're one of the most important people in my life. I've never loved someone the way I love you."_

"_I love you so much Gaara," I whispered as we hugged. He placed his hands on my face and he slowly pulled me in for a kiss. Quickly he pulled away, but I pulled him back in for another one. This time he was a bit braver, and he pulled me closer. "Gaara," I moaned as he nipped at my neck. He slowly lowered me to the ground as I grinded up against him. "Suki," I heard Gaara's voice say. "I thought you loved me…" Looking up I saw Gaara staring down at me with sad eyes. How could he be there, and on top of me at the same time? "She loves me," whispered another voice. "Isn't it obvious?" Looking back to the original Gaara, I realized it was Neji. "No," I shouted while pushing him off me. "How did you get here?" The real Gaara now helped me up as I clung onto him. "Get away from her," Gaara shouted as Neji came closer._

"_She has to choose," Neji said. "Which one of us do you really love and which one are you playing the fool?" I swallowed hard. I didn't quite know the answer to that question. "Suki," Gaara whispered. "I thought you loved me…"_

"_Isn't it clear to you yet that she has feelings for the both of us," Neji said while reaching out to touch my face. "I'm really sorry for what happened between us Suki, but I want to be with you again. I love you so much." Gaara looked at me pleadingly. "Is what Neji says true," he asked. "Do you still love him?" I nodded slightly and felt tears come to my eyes. "Do you want to be with him again, or do you want to be with me," Gaara asked a little hopefully. I looked from one to the other. "I…I…" I mumbled. "I don't know." Half of me wanted Neji again, and the other half practically screamed for Gaara. "How can't you know," Gaara asked. I shook my head. "I just don't."_

"_That's not a fair answer Suki," Neji said. "Which one of us do you love more?"_

"_I don't know," I screamed. "I don't know who to choose!"_

I woke up with a start while breathing heavily. "Suki," Gaara whispered while sitting up. "Are you okay?" I nodded as I took a deep breath and lay back down. "Just a bad dream…" I mumbled. Gaara looked at me and sighed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I murmured. "I'm fine." Gaara lay down again and pulled me close to him. "You know I'm here if you need to talk," he whispered before kissing my cheek. I blushed but didn't say anything; I didn't want him to know what had happened in my dream and I didn't want him to know how I felt about him. "It's okay," I said. "It was just a nightmare."

"I didn't cause it did I," Gaara murmured with a smile. I smiled as well and shook my head. "No, you didn't," I said. "What time is it?"

"About seven thirty," Gaara said while looking at the clock. I sighed heavily and then got up, knowing we would have to leave soon. "I'm going to go take a shower," I mumbled. Gaara sat up and shook his head. "I'll order us some breakfast then," he said. "We have to leave at ten." I nodded and went to take my shower. I had just finished when there was a knock on the door from Gaara. "Breakfast is here Suki," he said.

"Okay," I mumbled. "I'll be out in a minute." Shoving on a bathrobe, I walked out and sat down on the bed. I could tell Gaara was blushing as he handed me a plate of food. "Sorry," I said. "I just didn't take the kimono in there with me since I didn't want to ruin it."

"That's fine," Gaara mumbled. "We should hurry. It's a fair walk and I want to get there before our meeting begins." I smiled and nodded, then finished my breakfast. Quickly I shoved on the Kimono just like Sumi had showed me, but I had trouble with the bow in the back. Gaara had already dressed in his kimono and I felt a blush creep up on my face. He always looked very handsome in red. "Umm…" I mumbled. Gaara turned around to look at me. "Suki," he said with wide eyes. "You look…you look spectacular." I blushed even more and looked down. "I was wondering if you could tie my bow for me Gaara," I said. He nodded and I turned around. "Thank you," I murmured. Gaara nodded, took my hand and lead me to the door. "We should get going," he said.

Suki's Kimono

Gaara's POV

I had woken up to Suki screaming something. It sounded like she had said 'I don't know who to choose'. I wanted to know what she had been dreaming about, but I didn't want to press the matter. Just as well, it was probably something silly anyway. Besides, she would probably tell me when she wanted to.

The two of us were now walking quietly to the Lord's manor. She was just a few steps ahead of me and I couldn't help but admire her beauty. In fact, she turned quite a few heads on the way there. Jealousy rose up in me when one person smiled and started to walk towards her. I sped up and wrapped my arm around her waist while I gave him a cold hard stare. Suki looked up at me and I felt myself blush. Instead of pulling away from me like I thought she would, she laid her head on my shoulder.

"Gaara," she whispered. "While you're discussing matters with the Lord of this land, what will I be doing?"

"You're going to be there just in case someone attempts to kill me or the lord," I muttered back. Suki let out a giggle and she smiled. "I know that," she said in a very low voice. "What I'm asking is if I'm going to be a family relation or a…" She stopped and I blushed some more. How would she react if I introduced her as my girlfriend? Forget about her; how would I react? I could lie easily, but introducing Suki as my girlfriend would make me blush completely. I had no trouble when it was Matsuri, but with Suki it would be the equivalent of telling her how I felt. "I think family relation would work best," I mumbled. Suki nodded and yawned a little bit. "Are you tired," I asked.

"Whenever I have a nightmare, I usually wake up tired the next morning…I thought maybe I wouldn't be today, but I guess I am."

"Once I finish talking to the Lord," I said. "We'll go back to our room and you can sleep some more okay?"

"That sounds so great," Suki said. "In fact it sounds like heaven to me."

"Well," I said once we reached the manor. "This is it." Suki stared at it in awe as we walked from the outer gate to the main house. "It's so big," she muttered. "This is such a beautiful garden too…" I smiled as she looked around at all the flowers and trees with wide eyes. "If I didn't know any better," I said with a smile. "I'd say you preferred it here than back in the sand village." Suki blushed and shook her head. "I'm just admiring the landscape," she said while laughing. "I'm not looking to buy or anything." I laughed at what she said and the two of us continued until we reached the main house.

"Halt," a guard said. "State your business."

"My name is Gaara of the Sand," I said. "I've come to see the Lord of the land of Rivers."

"I'll inform his Lordship," the guard said while his partner stared at Suki and me coldly. I could tell she was uncomfortable so I held her hand. She looked at me with a blush and I had to look away. The look in her eyes…it was almost the same look as the one she gave me when I last kissed her. A part of me wanted to pull her in for one, but she was supposed to play a family relative, not someone I was in a relationship with. "Lord Kusanagi will see you now," the guard said as he returned. I nodded and the two of us walked inside the main house.

"Kusanagi," Suki whispered to me when a servant came to greet us. "That's ironic and scary." I nodded, thinking the same thing. The servant lead us to the throne room and opened the door, and there, sitting on a pillow next to the Lord Kusanagi's chair, was the man that had tried to take advantage of Suki. "You," I said angrily as someone else entered.

"Gaara of the Sand," a familiar voice said behind me. I turned around to face the man's brother, only this time he wasn't dressed in civilian clothing. "Lord Kusanagi I presume," I said with a bow.

"Please," Lord Kusanagi said with a smile. "I should be the one bowing to you, Lord Kazekage."

"You knew who I was last night didn't you," I said as he nodded.

"My apologies again for what my brother had done to your associate," he said. "Who is this beautiful young lady?"

"The same woman your brother accosted last night," I said with a hint of anger. "This is Suki Nara."

"I see," Lord Kusanagi whispered while he walked over to Suki and kissed her hand. "I'm pleased to meet you Ms. Nara."

"Lord Kusanagi," Suki said with a bow. I could see her blushing face and I felt jealous again. "Please, call me Kei," Lord Kusanagi said. "It isn't often that I'm able to meet a woman such as yourself." Inside, I wanted to punch this slick talker into oblivion. I didn't want him anywhere near Suki; I didn't want him to be the next person to hurt her if she decided not to go back to Neji.

"She also happens to be my fiancé," someone said. Suki looked at me with a huge blush as I wondered who had said those words in the first place. "I see," said Lord Kusanagi while looking at me with a smirk. "You're a very lucky man." I did a double take and realized that_** I **_had said Suki was my fiancé. My heart was now pounding as Lord Kusanagi took his seat and offered Suki and I to take one as well. _Nice going,_ I thought to myself. _Could have said she was my cousin, or maybe even girlfriend…but you have to push it all the way to fiancé. You are in for it with Suki now Gaara._

"When will you two be married," asked his brother, Tessi.

"We haven't actually picked a date just yet," Suki said while taking my hand. "Gaara actually proposed to me before we came here. He'd bought the ring from a store in this town and it didn't fit properly so we're having them resize it." I was surprised at how fast Suki was able to add on to this lie, but seeing as she was a first rate ninja…this was something she had been trained to do ever since she was little.

"I assume that isn't the reason you came here to see me," Lord Kusanagi said with a laugh.

"No," I answered. "I have come to try and keep peace between you and the Lord of the Land of Tea."

"Oh," Lord Kusanagi said with another laugh. "The little dispute between that old badger and I has finally reached your ears, eh?"

"It's not something I could easily ignore," I said.

"He just has an issue with our trade agreements," Lord Kusanagi answered. "Ever since my father passed and named me as his replacement, that old goat thinks he can take advantage of me since he thinks I'm inexperienced as a lord."

"That old man has no right to tell my brother how to run his land," said Tessi. "Nor is he allowed to think he can take more than his fair share of our trade."

"I plan on visiting him next," I said. "I'm sure I can help the two of you work out new trade agreements if that is what you need."

"It would be helpful if you could do this for me my Lord Kazekage," Lord Kusanagi said. "Every time I send my brother over there to make a new deal, he doesn't seem to get along with the Lord of the Land of Tea."

"I shall see what I can do," I said with a bow. "For now, my fiancé and I shall leave you to attend to your other business."

"I don't suppose you would mind staying here at this house for the time being," Lord Kusanagi said with a smile. He looked at Suki and she blushed deeply. I felt myself become jealous again as she smiled back at him. I didn't know why I felt so jealous when he looked at her, but I did know one thing. I didn't want him near her at all. "That won't be necessary," I said, as he stood up and took Suki's hand.

"I insist that you stay," he said. "In fact, I would love it if you allowed me to throw the two of you an engagement party; as an apology for what happened last night." Suki blushed as we stood up and I wrapped an arm around her waist. "If you wish to do so," I whispered as he let go of Suki's hand.

"My brother will show you to your room," Lord Kusanagi said. I watched as he sat down and his brother stood.

After he had lead Suki and I to a room, I made sure he was gone before speaking to her. "Great," I said as Suki sat on the futon. "Why did I have to say that back there?"

"Gaara," Suki whispered as I faced the wall. "Don't worry about it. I'm not angry with you for introducing me as your fiancé; you had every reason to." I blushed and shook my head. I had no idea why she was being so understanding; she should be yelling at me instead of telling me it was all right. "I'm going to go out for a little bit," I said before Suki could stop me.

I was such an idiot; I should have said she was my girlfriend, but I just had to take it one step further out of stupidity. Just because I felt jealous didn't mean I had to say Suki and I were engaged…I walked around for about an hour trying to cool off when I looked into a jewelry store. Right there in front of me, was a diamond ring trimmed with dark blue sapphires. I smiled softly as I thought of it on Suki's finger; she had said that I got her one…I walked in and took a look around at some other things before asking the clerk to show it to me. "Are you sure about this ring sir," she asked before putting it in a box.

"Yes," I whispered. "Why?"

"It's just that…this ring has been returned to us five times," she whispered. "Most of the people here think it's cursed."

"I don't really think it would matter," I said in a low voice, thinking aloud. "It's not like she would say yes to me anyways."

"You shouldn't say something like that sir," the clerk said. "If she loves you then of course she'll say yes."

"That's just it," I muttered after leaving the store. "Suki isn't in love with me…she knows what a monster I am." I sighed and continued back to the manor knowing Suki was probably wondering were I was. After I reached the manor house and walked down the hallway toward our room, I knew something was wrong again. I could feel Suki's chakra begin to rise and I ran to our room.

"Suki," I shouted once I saw that the door was open.


	20. Chapter 20

Suki's POV

I had been pacing back and forth wondering when Gaara would be back. He had been gone for about forty five minutes and I was the one that was supposed to be guarding him. It wouldn't be a good thing if I had let him walk alone and he got hurt. Heck, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened. I knew Gaara could take plenty good care of himself…I just didn't want him caught off guard without me around.

"Suki," Gaara said once he opened the door again. "I'm sorry I took so long. I had to speak with Lord Kusanagi again." He smiled and came towards me with a strange look in his eyes. "That's okay Gaara," I whispered while breathing a sigh of relief. "As long as you're all right."

"I'm fine," he said while wrapping his arms around my waist. "It's just that I've had to sit by and look at you all day."

"Gaara," I said a little weirded out. "What are you…?"

"I want you Suki," he whispered. "Let me have you." I blushed as Gaara pushed me down on the bed and kissed me roughly. Once Gaara's lips touched mine, I knew it wasn't him. The way this one kissed me wasn't the way Gaara had. The real Gaara was tenderer than this, and even when he kissed me roughly, he was always kind about it. Besides, I always felt something when I kissed Gaara. I felt nothing with this one. "Gaara," I whispered once the fake's lips left mine and nipped at my neck. "I thought you said that you wanted us to wait until we were married…"

"I can't wait much longer Suki," the fake mumbled as his hands traveled up to my breasts. "I love you." I wanted to laugh. Gaara would never ever use 'I love you' as an excuse to get in my pants; that much I knew. He wasn't like that at all; and besides, he didn't love me. "You do know that my younger brother would have something to say about this if he knew," I said, thinking about how Shikamaru would kill this guy. Hell, he even almost killed Neji after he caught us together. "Then we don't have to tell the little guy," the fake said before kissing me again.

After executing the correct hand signs, I used the shadows in the room to bind the fake against the wall. "Shadow Strangulation Jutsu," I shouted as hands came forth and squeezed him. "Nice try," I said as I heard the door open. The fake laughed. "How did you know it wasn't him," he asked. "I thought I did a good job using that jutsu."

"I knew the moment you kissed me," I answered. "I knew something was up since Gaara doesn't usually look at me the way you did when you walked in; I just didn't know what."

"So your own fiancé doesn't kiss you huh," he said. "Pretty sad if you ask me."

"No," I said. "That's just it. Gaara's kiss feels different from everyone else's."

"You truly love the Kazekage then," said a voice from the doorway. I looked over and saw Kei Kusanagi standing there. "Brother," he said in a faint voice. "I do wish you hadn't done this to Suki."

"I wanted to see whether or not the two really were together or not," Tessi said. "It didn't look like they were."

"Well now you know that Suki is marrying the Kazekage of the sand," Kei said. "Now go!" I released him and watched as he ran out of the room, still in Gaara's form. Kei stood there smiling at me and shook his head. "I had no idea you were such a skilled ninja," he whispered. "But now that I do, I have something to ask of you Suki."

"What is it," I said as he walked closer to me. I didn't trust this guy or his brother. "I know that the Lord of the Land of Tea isn't really the one ruining the trade agreements," he whispered. "But someone else is. Every time we send goods to the Land of Tea, they get stolen or arrive rotten. Their lord is blaming me for these things happening and he may start a war I don't want. I wish for the matter to be determined peacefully but the man is stubborn and won't even accept my invitations to come resolve the matter. My people and their safety are my number one concern. I don't have very much, but I'll make sure you're paid well for your services."

"Why don't you ask Gaara to do this," I said in a curt voice. "He is the diplomatic one in all of this." Lord Kusanagi smiled and placed a finger under my chin. "Firstly, because my brother has an interest in you and I'm beginning to think he may be the one behind all this," he whispered. "Secondly, I would think that you would rather not put the life of your dearly beloved Kazekage on the line; there might be someone or something extremely dangerous behind all this. Although I must say that the relationship you say you have is questionable, since the two of you rarely even look at one another, let alone show affection toward. Thirdly, I am curious to see just how good a ninja you really are."

"I'm a damn fine one," I muttered as I raised my chakra level.

"Suki," Gaara cried as he rushed in. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him, but then I felt Lord Kusanagi's arms wrap around me. "What the," I said before he kissed me lightly on the lips. I was shocked, but not as shocked as I was when I felt Gaara rip me from Kei Kusanagi's arms and into his. "I'm sorry Lord Kazekage," Kusanagi said. "It's just that her beauty captivated me and I didn't realize I was kissing her until it was too late. Perhaps she used a jutsu on me…"

"Suki's more faithful to me than any other person is," Gaara shouted. "I don't ever want to see you touch her like that again!"

"It's just that I wonder if the two of you really are together as you say," Kusanagi mused. "If you're in love like you say you are, you would have at least kissed her once by now." I looked into Gaara's eyes with a blush as he looked at me with shock. My heart started pounding as his lips came closer to mine. Gaara didn't seem to sure about kissing me, so I pressed my lips against his softly, which only made him pull me in closer.

"I see," Kusanagi said. "I'll leave you both alone." Gaara slowly pulled away after the door closed and I felt myself wanting to pull him back in. "Here," Gaara whispered while handing me a small bag. "I have to check and see if he's still listening."

I opened the bag to find a small, ring sized box inside. Opening it carefully, I felt my heart skip a beat; it was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. "Gaara," I mumbled. "Why did you…?"

"You needed an engagement ring to help fool them," he murmured after sitting down on the bed. "Someone is still out there by the way."

"Gaara," I muttered after putting the ring back in the bag. "It's too much. I don't need to use something like that." Gaara got up and grabbed the bag from me. After taking out the ring he took my left hand and slipped it on my finger. "Suki," he whispered as I looked away. "If you don't wear it they'll start to ask questions. Besides, he's still listening at the door…I think he still wonders if we're really together." I blushed as Gaara turned me to face him and looked me in the eye. "G-Gaara," I whispered. "Are you suggesting that we should…um…?"

"No," Gaara mumbled with wide eyes. "Nothing big like that…just…" I couldn't hold back anymore. Just the thought of kissing Gaara again made shivers go up and down my body. I pressed my lips against his and he practically crushed me as he pulled me closer to him. Gaara had never been this rough with me before, and I wondered if it was because he felt that he had to prove that the two of us were actually engaged. "Gaara," I whispered in his ear after he broke away to catch his breath. "You don't need to feel forced. We don't need to prove a point…"

"I just don't want either of them to think they can take advantage of you," he mumbled before kissing me again. I wrapped both arms around his neck, acting through the emotions I felt inside me. I loved Gaara, maybe even more than I ever loved Neji. He lifted me up bridal style and lay me down on the futon we were supposed to share. "I love you Suki," he said.

My heart stopped when he said these words. I knew the words had been forced and that Gaara would never love me the way I loved him, but I still felt happy. Before I could say anything though, Gaara's lips were upon mine again. I let out a low moan in the middle of the kiss and grinded up against him slowly. Gaara slowly pulled away and looked me in the eye. They were so beautiful…like a pool of water I was able to drift in.

Before I was able to pull him in for another kiss, Gaara slowly planted kisses down my cheek, down my neckline, and stopped at the collar bone. He then gave a sharp bite at a spot that practically made me scream his name. Not even Neji nor I knew that that kind of spot ever existed. My breathing became erratic as Gaara's hands carefully laid on my breasts. I noticed him blush as he parted my kimono a bit. I smiled as he looked away from my chest, but kept trying to part my kimono just a bit further.

"You've never seen a girls' chest before have you," I whispered with a teasing smile. Gaara shook his head and quickly withdrew his hands, sat up, then looked at the wall. "No," he mumbled. "Only in the magazines Kankuro leaves around. He says that they've most likely been enhanced by a computer or something like that…" My smile deepened. It was kinda cute how innocent he was, how inexperienced he seemed to be. Most guys his age had already at least made out with a girl they liked and I knew Gaara hadn't even done that. Well, I probably should have included myself in the equation, but Gaara didn't like me that way.

Sitting up, I slowly opened my robe and revealed my black bra. I hated the fact that my breasts were so huge, but it ran in the family…taking Gaara's hand, I placed it on my heart so he could feel it beating. His cheeks turned a little pink when his cool hand touched my warm skin, but turned bright red when he looked at where it was. "Ummm," he muttered. "Suki? What are you doing?"

"Well you said that we needed to fool them," I whispered. "So this is only the natural thing a couple would do." Gaara swallowed and nodded slowly. I shuffled towards him a bit and straddled his lap. I started to grind up against him when I noticed his eyes were still fixated on my breasts and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything," he whispered softly. "But…what do I do?" I really had to hold back on laughing at this point. I thought that maybe he would have picked something up from his older brother, but he really was just as innocent as a little boy. "Well," I mumbled with a blush. "You could massage them or something."

"I know that," Gaara muttered. "I guess I should have asked 'what do you want me to do'." My blush deepened and I looked away from Gaara. I felt shivers go up and down my spine. Just the thought of telling Gaara what I wanted was really embarrassing. I'd dreamt of Gaara and I doing things before sure, but I'd never thought of us actually doing those things.

At the same time though, I wondered what it would be like to be with Gaara in that sense. I wanted to know; maybe even needed to know. What did I want him to do? I wanted him to pin me down and make me scream for him; I wanted him to nip at my neck and find that spot only he knew about that made me feel really randy. I wanted him to hold me in his arms and kiss me tenderly, hear him whisper that he loved me in that soft voice of his, hear him moan as I showed him what kind of woman I could be. I wanted him to lay on top of me with his chin on my stomach and let me run my fingers through his hair while we just stared at one another; but most of all, I wanted him to say that he really did love me and that he wanted me to be his and his alone…I shook my head and looked at him again. His eyes drew me in once more and I felt myself edging forward ever so slightly. "I'm sorry," Gaara whispered just before I was about to kiss him again. "It's my fault we have to do things like this."

"I don't blame you Gaara," I mumbled. "I feel like I'm the one that made things awkward…"

"You didn't," he said in a low voice. "It's just that it's sort of embarrassing for me. I've never done things like that with a girl before…" I felt horrible now; as though I had forced Gaara into all this. I knew I hadn't, but…"I'm gonna go for a walk," I said while straightening myself up. "If I'm not back in half an hour send the rescue squad." Gaara looked at me confused. "Forget it," I mumbled, now thinking I just made the situation worse. I walked into the hallway and walked towards the gardens.

Gaara's POV

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I shouted when I knew Suki, or anyone else for that matter, was far from the room. "Why did I have to say that? 'What do I do?'. Now she knows that I've never been with a girl that way before. I even told her that I…God I should have let her go back…Why didn't I let her go back?" I slammed my fist against the wall and sighed. "Because you couldn't," I whispered to myself. "You wanted her to be yours…"

I never had loved anyone before, and I didn't even know what feelings I had towards Suki, but all I did know is that she was different from everyone else. She could make me smile and laugh; everything she did either amazed me or astounded me. Her voice soothed me, her eyes captivated me, her smile calmed me, her beauty dazzled me, and yet…

I sighed again and fell onto the bed once more. I really shouldn't have said anything to her and let my emotions take over, but I couldn't do that to her. She would have regretted it if we did something like that; I had to remember that she was still with Neji. Just the thought of his arms around her made my blood boil. He hurt her badly, and he came up with a horrible excuse. When I told Kankuro about it the next morning, he said it was now my chance to have her, but I figured she would want some space.

I shouldn't have asked this of her; she was probably off somewhere thinking of Neji and how much she missed him. I wondered…is it him who she thinks of when we kissed? Of course it was; who else was there in her life? I only wished I was a part of it…even for just one minute. That would never happen though…

Closing my eyes, I threw my lower left arm over them and let out an aggravated growl. Suki knew about the Shukaku that had been inside me and I wished she had treated me like everyone else did. Maybe then I wouldn't be feeling about her like this and everything would be fine. If only she saw me as the monster I truly was…_You don't have to be alone anymore Gaara…_

I gripped the sheet as that memory of her standing next to me holding my hand flew threw my head. We were younger then, but she still had the same caring eyes she did then. Me being the idiot I was kept trying to push her away; only to realize then that I really didn't want to be alone anymore. Suki was always there for me, even when I didn't think I needed her. Perhaps that was one of the many reasons why I cared about her.

"Suki," I whispered. "You're the only one who's ever made me feel this way…" All this time alone with her was going to drive me insane and the fact that Kankuro took away all her pajama's and replaced them with nighties wasn't a big help. Just the mere thought of the ones from last night was making me aroused...the fact that we had to stay in the same room again tonight made it even worse.

"Gaaagh," I shouted while punching the pillow and throwing my face into it. "Just stop thinking!" This didn't help out at all; now that I wasn't thinking about her, I was imagining her. Her soft pale skin gleaming in the moonlight; a small blush barely noticeable as she lays on the bed with just her kimono and no obi. There was me, trailing soft kisses up and down her neck line while slowly parting her robe. _Oh Gaara,_ she'd moan. _I've wanted this for so long…_I'd hover over her lips for a second or so, making her kiss me. She would do so and hungrily too. Her skin would be warm and her lips would be soft. Her hands would be entangled in my hair as she grinds up against me. My hands would be running up and down her body before…

"Fuck," I muttered. Unconsciously, my hand had slipped down while I was imagining the things I would do to her if she was in love with me as well. A load had just spilled into my hand, hot and sticky. I didn't even know I had been touching myself while imagining the two of us together; in fact I'd never done that before in my life. This was getting too intense. My want for Suki was turning into something I never wanted in the first place.

Suki was everything I had wanted and couldn't have. She was getting under my skin and I was starting to regret asking her to stay. She would have been better off with Neji…what made me think I had a chance? I had to let her go; once we got back to the sand village I would tell her that Lady Tsunade said no and that she had to go home right away.


	21. Chapter 21

Suki's POV

I walked outside and looked around the gardens a bit. It was nice; there were a lot of different kinds of plants, and plenty of birds flying around as well. I was taking in the beauty of the place just as I heard voices coming from around the corner. I hid in one of the tall trees as Tessi rounded the bend with masked man. "Listen," Tessi said. "The goods are going to the Land of Tea tomorrow afternoon. If you and your bandits foul this up, I'll have your heads!"

"We won't mess it up," the masked man said. "We'll meet the goods at the bridge at four and take them. You sure no one comes to this garden at all?"

"No one does at this time," Tessi answered. "Here's half the payment in advance."

"Good," the bandit said. "We'll give you twenty percent of the profits like we did last time." This wasn't good; Kusanagi was right this whole time. Either that or he was playing me like a fiddle; I couldn't be so sure he hadn't asked his brother to do this or if his brother really was doing this out of spite. I couldn't rule that possibility out just yet, but I did know one thing. I didn't like Tessi one bit.

"What about that kunoichi that the Kazekage brought with him," the masked man said. "She figured me out pretty fast. Thankfully your brother thought I was you."

"She's probably just a student of his or something," Tessi said. "It wouldn't surprise me if she was at the genin or chunin level."

"Sorry pals," I mumbled. "I'm a jonin."

"I don't know," the masked man said. "She did say some things that makes me think she really is his fiancée…" I blushed as Tessi scoffed. "If you think that you're nuts," he said. "Have you seen how good looking and sexy she is? He's at least got to be banging her for the hell of it! Hell, I wouldn't mind a piece of that action. Do what you want with her…actually, just knock her out and bring her to me. I could just make her one of my concubines."

"What about the Kazekage," the masked man asked. "I hear that he's a very strong ninja; the best of his people. That is how a kage is chosen after all…by strength."

"Kill him. He's in the way; but keep the girl alive because I want her."

I gripped the tree branch I was holding on to. It wasn't the fact that I was mad about what Tessi wanted to do to me, although I didn't like that either, I was angry because he wanted to kill Gaara. I had the primordial urge to throw a couple of kunai just to scare them, but it would alert them to my presence and you have to keep a cool head in this sort of situation. That was when I felt a bug crawl onto my hand. I'm not usually frightened by bugs when I know they're there, but when they just start to crawl on you with no warning, I tend to want to cry out loud.

I almost did when someone's hand covered my mouth. "Long time no see Suki," a familiar voice whispered. I breathed a sigh of relief as Shino's hand left my mouth. "Jerk," I muttered. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Meet the rest of us outside the gates," he whispered. "We need to talk." Just before I could say anything else, he disappeared and left me there. "Our squad is here," I whispered. "Why is that?" The masked man and Tessi continued their walk and rounded another corner. I jumped down from the tree and leaped the wall that surrounded the manor without anyone noticing. Quickly I was able to find Shino, Hinata, Kuronai, Akamaru, and Naruto.

"Suki," Hinata said happily as the two of us hugged. "I-I'm s-s-so glad to s-s-s-s-see you." I smiled at my best friend and gave her another hug. "Me too," I said. "I've missed you." I really had too; Hinata was always there for me when I needed her and I hadn't really told her about what had happened between her cousin and me…

"Hey Suki," Naruto cried as he gave me a hug as well. "What have you been up to? I haven't seen you since you left us and went back. What's up with you and Neji?"

"It's kinda hard to explain," I whispered.

"Neji used a shadow clone to sleep with another woman and Suki caught them," Shino said. I wanted to punch Shino in the face, but he was right. Plus, Shino was always straight to the point like that. I heard a little whine come from Akamaru as he nudged his head against me. "It's okay boy," I said. "I'm fine." He gave a loud bark as I scratched him behind the ears like I used to when he was a pup. "Where's Kiba," I asked. Shino pointed behind me and I turned to see the masked man.

"Well, if it isn't Gaara's betrothed," he said.

"Betrothed," Naruto screamed. "Suki, when did that happen?"

"It's just a cover," Shino said. "It's not like they really are together."

"Then what's with the ring," Naruto shouted as he pointed to my left hand. I blushed as Kiba turned back into his normal self. "I want to know how Gaara's kisses feel different from everyone else's," Kiba mused as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "And how he looks at you differently than I do." Naruto's jaw almost hit the ground.

"I should have known it was you when you came in as Gaara, Kiba," I said with a hint of anger. "Only you have that wolfish look in your eye!" Kiba smiled and wrapped his other arm around my waist. "True," he said. "I could have given you a signal, but it was interesting to see how these feel." He squeezed my chest and I blushed. After getting out of his grip, I punched him in the face. "What are you," I asked. "In heat?" Kiba blushed a bit and looked away. "As a matter of fact," Shino said, just as Kiba rushed over and placed a hand over his mouth. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. I should have known he was. When he was younger it wasn't so much of a problem, but as we got older, it was really becoming a big problem. We knew it wasn't really his fault, but he really needed to find a mate as he put it…

"So what are you all doing here," I asked, trying to maintain some composure.

"We were hired by the lord of the land of tea to find out what was going on here," Shino said simply. "What about you?"

"Gaara got some information from a spy that there was trouble with these two lords. We came here to prevent the two from starting a war," I said. "The lord here knew there was something going on and asked me to help. It seems he doesn't want war either."

"Well that's good," Naruto said.

"You should tell Gaara about our involvement and I think that you two should leave tomorrow with the goods," Shino said.

"W-why," Hinata said.

"We don't know if Tessi hired anymore bandits," I whispered. "Someone should go along and help guard them."

"Exactly," Shino said.

"Okay," I said. "I'm going back in to explain this to Gaara."

"Hey Suki," Kiba said just as I turned. "There's something on your neck…" I paused and felt the place where Gaara had bit me. Jeez, how was I going to explain to these guys if there was a mark on me there… "Oh my God," Kiba shouted as I blushed. "It's a hicky!" Hinata's face turned red while Naruto's jaw dropped once more. "Who gave you that," he shouted while removing my hand to inspect it further.

"None of your business," I yelled.

"I never thought that Gaara would have that in him," Kiba said. "He always seemed so shy."

"Look, someone was outside the room we're sharing and Tessi and his brother are skeptical of Gaara and I being a couple so we tried to fool them," I hissed. "Now let me get back to Gaara."

"Right," Naruto said. "Don't want to keep the love of your life waiting!" It took Kiba, Shino, Kuronai, and Akamaru to hold me back from kicking Naruto's ass. "You sure haven't changed," Kuronai Sensei said. "Still losing your temper at small things."

"I'm not losing my temper," I yelled. "I just have other business to attend to and I don't need all of your input thank you very much!" I stomped off as the others stood there giggling and laughing. I walked to the gardens again to find Gaara and Lord Kusanagi talking with one another. "My lord," I said while looking at Kusanagi and bowing. He nodded to me and smiled. "If it isn't the lovely bride of the Kazekage," he said while kissing my hand. "We were just discussing whether or not to make your engagement party an indoor or outdoor affair. I thought it would be nice if it were an outdoor affair, seeing as most of the garden is in bloom."

"It would be nice," I said while leaning my head against Gaara's shoulder. Gaara blushed a bit, but got the message and wrapped his arms around me. "I was hoping this little party of yours would take place when Suki and I got back from Lord Hanzo's place," Gaara said.

"It shall," Lord Kusanagi said. "It will take place whenever you like it."

"In that case," Gaara continued. "Could we have it at night?"

"Why at night?"

"The first time I met Suki," he answered. "It was night. It was about four years ago if I'm not mistaken; we actually met on a roof top in her village because the two of us liked to look out at the moon. The light that it cast made her look so beautiful…" I blushed and looked up at Gaara's eyes. He seemed to be thinking at the moment; as if he were off in some dream. I couldn't help but smile; I didn't know that night had such an effect on him. Then again, that night was very important one for me as well. I hadn't known it then, but I would fall in love with the Kazekage of the Sand.

Gaara felt me looking at him and looked at me with a blush. "What is it," he asked. I smiled and threw my arms around his neck, kissing him. "I didn't know that the first time we met meant so much to you," I whispered. I figured Gaara would think I was just putting on a show for Kusanagi, but I really meant what I said. Gaara returned my smile and pulled me in for another kiss. "It does," he said.

"I'll leave you two be for a while," Kusanagi said. "I have a few things to attend to." I waited for a bit just to make sure he was gone. "Gaara," I said, once I knew no one was around. "We need to talk."

"If it's about earlier I'm really sorry," he whispered while letting me go and turning away from me. "I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand…I know you're still trying to fix things with Neji, so what happened between us earlier was out of line."

"Huh," I said a bit confused. "No, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about…it's about what's happening with the trade agreements."

"You found out something," Gaara asked with a slight hint of surprise. I nodded. "While I was taking a walk out here, I caught Tessi talking to someone," I whispered. "I thought it was a bandit at first, but later on it turned out to be Kiba. Anyway, Tessi told Kiba that he wanted him and his bandits to steal the goods that are going to the land of tea! Not only that, but he also wants you killed so that you won't be in the way when he tries to over through his brother."

"How did Kiba get involved with all this," Gaara asked.

"My whole team is involved in this apparently," I answered. "The lord of the land of tea wants to know what's going on over hear and hired them."

"Who's in your team?"

"Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, and Kuronai Sensei," I said. "Oh, and Naruto is hear as well. Kuronai thinks it would be a good idea if you and I left with the trade items in case Tessi hired more bandits."

"I see," Gaara whispered. "Did Tessi say when the initial attack was?"

"Yeah, at some bridge at four in the afternoon," I answered. "I could try to get some more information from Tessi though. He seems to be interested in me." Gaara's eyes flashed angrily before he pulled me back in for a hug. "I can't let you do that," he whispered.

"Why not," I asked as Gaara held me close. "I am a ninja after all…"

"I don't want you to get hurt," he answered in a sad tone. "You've already done more than I could ask for…" I blushed a bit as I found myself snuggling more and more into Gaara's arms. "I'm only doing my job," I whispered. Gaara let out a snort and shook his head. "I only remember asking you to be my bodyguard on this mission," he whispered. "Not a spy." "You know," I said with a smirk. "I'm not a bad kunochi; in fact, I've gotten a lot of information from people just by using my sex appeal…" Gaara blushed and nodded slightly. "I don't want you to stoop to that level," he mumbled. "Besides, if you got hurt, I wouldn't know what to do." I frowned a little and closed my eyes. _Don't say such things,_ I thought. _It makes me feel like you care deeply for me. _Gaara slowly let me go and took my hand. "Come on," he said. "I know a great place to have some lunch."

He took me to a very nice restaurant and the waiter seated us at a table. "It's funny," Gaara said while staring off into space. "Usually Matsuri is with me when I come here. It's kinda nice to have someone new with me." I smiled at him, but wondered if he really meant that. "Well if it isn't Suki and her husband to be," said a familiar voice as a person sat next to Gaara. I growled and looked at the source. "Kiba," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious," he asked while grabbing a bread roll from the center of the table. "I'm having lunch."

"Shouldn't you be with Kuronai sensei and the others?"

"We're all here too," said Naruto as he walked over with Hinata. I smiled at Hinata as she took the seat next to me. "Hey," I said. Hinata smiled at me and nodded. "What's going on," Gaara asked.

"Sorry," I said. "Gaara this is my best friend Hinata, the one stealing food from our table is Kiba, and Shino should be around here somewhere…"

"He's with Kuronai at our table still," Kiba answered; his mouth full of bread. "So, how's the greatest love affair since Kakashi and Shiranna?"

"What," Gaara said with a blush. I spat out the water that was in my mouth and glared at Kiba as he grinned. "Shut up," I muttered. "Or I'll get Shino to give you and Akamaru ticks with Lyme disease."

"You're sadistic enough to do that," Kiba said with a sigh. "Although you wouldn't do that to your best pal would you?"

"You're right," I said with a smile. "I wouldn't drag poor Akamaru in on this." Kiba snorted and shook his head. "Bitch," he mumbled. I smirked at him, knowing this was just the usual playful banter between us. "You would know what one was wouldn't you," I asked.

"Ignore t-those two," Hinata said while turning towards Gaara with a smile. "T-they're always l-like this."

"Man your team always fights with one another huh Hinata," Naruto asked. Hinata shook her head. "Not always," she mumbled. "O-only w-when s-s-someone starts with S-Suki. Even then s-she has to be in the m-mood to fight."

"Hey," I said.

"The truth hurts doesn't it," Kiba asked with a smirk.

"Never a dull moment then," Gaara said. "That's nice."

"Not always," I muttered. Kiba smirked and wrapped an arm around Gaara. "So tell me Gaara," he said. "Just how far have you two gotten? Have you seen her breasts yet? Are they really as big as they look or does she stuff a little bit of tissue in there?" Gaara blushed deeply as Kiba smirked and I felt my face turn red. "Ya know, Neji did mention to Lee and me over some drinks that Suki was a fireball in bed; said she was like some sort of sex goddess," Kiba said with a smile. Gaara's eyes widened and he even looked a bit dizzy as I shot up from my seat. "Kiba," Hinata and I shouted together.

"I didn't need to know that," Hinata said.

"Gaara and I are not a couple," I shouted as Tessi walked in with a woman and a small boy. I glanced at them as Tessi looked over at us. "Of idiots," I finished before quickly sitting down again. Gaara looked towards the door after I nodded towards it. His eyes widened and Kiba looked at me apologetically. He slinked off and Naruto took his seat quickly as Tessi walked over.

"Lord Kazekage," he said with a small bow. "I didn't expect to see you and your lovely fiancé here."

"Lord Tessi," Gaara said while getting up and bowing. "I'm surprised to see you as well."

"Tessi," said the woman while she came over with the little boy in her arms. "Who is this?"

"Lord Kazekage, may I introduce my wife Hana and my son Tanaka."

"Lady Hana, Lord Tanaka," Gaara said softly. "I am Gaara, the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand. This is my fiancé Suki Nara, from the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Lady Hana nodded as I stood to greet her. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Hana," I said with a smile. "May I say that your son is very adorable." I had to say, I loved kids and Tanaka really was a cute little boy. "Thank you very much," Lady Hana said as Tanaka hid his face in her side. "I hope that you and the Lord Kazekage are blessed with such children." I blushed as Gaara smiled. "We haven't really talked about children yet," Gaara said. "But I hope to have at least five or six."

My eyes widened as I looked down at the ground. It was amazing that he had said that number, since Neji and I had talked about having kids, we had pretty much come to the conclusion that we'd have five or six. I suppose you'd say it was ironic that Gaara would say we planned on having five or six children, but it was still a shock since I had never even told him about the discussions Neji and I had…

"Hana," Tessi said while taking his wife by the arm. "We should let the Lord Kazekage and his fiancé enjoy their lunch." She smiled and nodded. "It was very nice to meet you," I said to her with a smile. She nodded again and walked away with her husband. Hana seemed pretty nice and I hated the thought of someone as kind as her being married to someone as horrible as her husband. "Suki," Hinata asked as I sat down. "Are you alright?" I nodded slightly with a small smile, trying to mask the small pain I felt. "I'm fine," I mumbled. Gaara frowned, knowing I felt bad. "Suki…" he whispered.

"I have to use the bathroom," I said before getting up and rushing over to the restroom. I breathed in slowly and felt myself start to cry. I didn't really know why I was starting to, but I felt upset about something. "Suki," Hinata said while entering the bathroom and then locking the door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I whispered. "I just didn't expect that…" Hinata looked at me and shook her head slowly. "Suki," she whispered before hugging me. "Is it about Neji?" I nodded slowly and hugged her back. "I never told you this but Neji and I talked about kids," I whispered.

"You did," she asked stunned.

"We wanted to get married," I mumbled. Hinata looked at me shocked as I nodded. "He wanted us to wait till I was at least twenty one or twenty two and we wanted to have about five or six kids but…"

"You know it can still happen," Hinata whispered. I shook my head slowly. "I don't know," I said. "I'm not so sure. After what happened I don't know if I want to go back to him."

"I know it's hard to forgive someone after a thing like this," Hinata said after letting me go. "Neji really does feel horrible about it and he misses you something terrible. He knows what he did was wrong, and he knows that you can't completely forgive him, but he hopes that you two can fix things. He loves you so much Suki."

"I know," I whispered. "It's just…I don't think I can go back to him."

"Don't you love him?"

"I do but…"

"Then what's stopping you?"

"I don't know if I love him the most," I blurted out.

"That's ridiculous. Who could you love more than Neji," Hinata asked softly. I shook my head and took a deep breath. "Gaara," I said under my breath, realizing that I really did love him a small, insignificant bit more than Neji. "What," Hinata asked.

"I love Gaara," I said simply. Hinata looked at me wide eyed as I nodded. "When did…how did that happen," she asked. I shrugged. "I don't really know exactly," I said. "It's just…he was there for me after what happened with Neji and that's when I realized I had a crush on him. I started to dream about him the day he was captured and that's when I realized I loved him." Hinata shook her head. "I don't get it…Aren't you supposed to love only one someone in your whole life?"

"I asked Shiranna the same question," I mumbled. "She told me that doesn't mean there isn't another person you could love even more. I'm starting to think that maybe Gaara…"

"But Neji still loves you more than anything else in the world," Hinata said softly. "Are you sure this isn't some sort of rebound thing? I mean you still love Neji right?" I shook my head and looked at the mirror, not wanting to face Hinata. "I still love Neji," I said, although right now I wasn't too sure. "It's just that with Gaara…he makes me just as happy as Neji did and when he holds me I feel so safe. Even his kisses are better then Neji's."

"You must be joking," Hinata said. "You've kissed him before?" I nodded with a small smile on my face, thinking of the time we kissed in his office. "Yeah," I mumbled. "I have."

"What about Neji," she asked. "You can't just leave him in the state he's in, you know?" I looked at Hinata with worry. I was in love with Gaara, but I still had a soft spot for Neji; maybe I still loved him. "What's wrong with Neji," I asked while looking at the ground again.

"He's just as bad as when you broke up with him," Hinata mumbled. "He's not speaking to any one and he's barely eaten anything. When he found out you'd be working with Gaara like this…he wanted to rush over here as fast as possible and save you."

"Save me from what," I shouted.

"You know how he is," Hinata said softly. "He's always got to charge in and save you from danger…he promised himself that he'd always be there to take care of you."

"What is wrong with him," I said. "It's like he doesn't believe I can take care of myself during a mission. Doesn't he know I'm just as strong as he is? I mean, we've fought together in training and we've always tied! I don't need him to charge in every single minute just to save me…" I sighed, thinking that at least Gaara didn't do that. He at least believed in me. "You know he only does it because he loves you," Hinata said.

"Sometimes I'm not so sure," I murmured so she wouldn't hear.

"Let's go back okay?"

"Sure," I answered with a smile. Hinata and I walked out to find Gaara and Naruto in deep conversation. "Just tell Suki how you feel," Naruto said with a smile. "She's a good person."

"Tell me how Gaara feels about what," I asked with a blush. Gaara and Naruto almost jumped up from their seats when they saw Hinata and me standing there. "Uh…" Gaara said with a small blush.

"How he feels about dogs," Naruto said. I shrugged as Hinata sat next to Naruto. "Okay," I said. "How do you feel about dogs Gaara?" Gaara shrugged as I sat next to him. "They're okay," he said. "I guess I like them enough."

"Were you afraid I didn't," I asked.

"I was thinking about getting one," he said. "So I wanted your opinion."

"Well I love them," I said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to stand Kiba." Hinata giggled and Naruto laughed. Gaara smiled and shook his head. "Well let's order something to eat," Gaara said while handing me a menu. I nodded and placed my head on his shoulder. He blushed but got the message and wrapped his arm around me in a comforting way. I only wished that this was something that would happen all the time...but if it did we'd be together as a couple and not just friends. That was something that would never happen; he didn't feel the same way. If only I wasn't so afraid of telling him how I truly felt…

Gaara's POV

"Suki," I said as I got up and watched her rush off to the bathroom. I sighed and slowly sat down again, wondering if perhaps I should go after her. "I'll go talk to her," Hinata whispered. I nodded as Naruto grabbed her arm. "Wait Hinata," he said. "I think Gaara should go after her."

"No," Hinata said. "It would be better if I talked to her." Naruto let go of Hinata and watched her go after Suki. "I still say you should go in there," Naruto said.

"It might be better if she spoke with another girl," I whispered. Naruto shook his head and looked at me sternly. "What's going on between you and Suki," he finally asked. I blushed and looked at him with wide eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about Naruto," I said while looking away. Naruto sighed and I could feel him glaring at me. "Cut it out Gaara," he said. "It's so obvious that she loves you. I just want to know how you feel about her!"

"She loves me," I whispered with surprise.

"Are you that dense," Naruto asked. "It doesn't take a scientist to figure it out Gaara."

"How would you know," I asked angrily. "Did she tell you that she loved me?"

"No, but…"

"Then don't assume things," I almost shouted. Naruto looked at me angrily. "Listen," he whispered in a dangerous voice. "Suki does love you. She doesn't have to say it to anyone but she looks and acts the way you would around someone you love. So just tell her."

"No," I whispered.

"Tell her."

"No."

"Tell her!"

"No!"

"TELL HER," Naruto shouted while slamming his fists on the table, making the tea cups and other utensils jump.

"Shut up," I hissed while glaring at him. "You don't have any idea do you…what I feel…it's so hard to describe. Do you even know what its like to be in love with someone you know you can't be with? Spending every waking minute knowing that while my dreams are of her, hers are of another man? Knowing that I can't even hold her the way I want to when she hugs me? Knowing that every time I kiss her to fool them, she's thinking of the one she loves? Thinking that she will never feel the same way towards me? The thought of her rejecting me is just too much…I can't loose her and it hurts knowing that she'll never think of me as more than a friend; but as long as I can be around her..."

"Look, Suki may never have even realized it but even when she was younger she loved you. She was the one that saw right through you the first time we all met you and she told you that you didn't have to be alone anymore. Remember the time she tried to save you and wound up in that dome with you?" I nodded slowly. "She was supposed to team up with Lee and me but instead she went after you. For three days she hadn't slept, eaten, or spoken to anyone while you had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki, and she helped us save you when she wasn't even supposed to be a part of that mission to begin with!"

"She did that," I whispered. Naruto nodded while I shook my head. I had no idea that Suki had been through so much because of me, but that didn't mean she was in love with me did it? Didn't friends do the same for one another?

"If that isn't enough proof," Naruto added. "Why did she come back to you after leaving with Neji? It has to be because she loves you, right? I'm not saying I'm completely right Gaara it's just that I haven't seen her as happy as she is with you."

"Suki's everything to me," I whispered. "But I don't know if I really love her or if it's just some shallow feelings."

"Let me ask you this," Naruto said. "When you look at her do you feel yourself smiling?" I nodded. "Does she make you feel happy?" Again I nodded. "Do you feel something when you kiss her?" I blushed before I answered. "I feel…complete. As if she was someone I was meant to be with. As if I've found the one person that's been missing from my life, but didn't even know they were missing. I'm just as happy holding her as I am kissing her, but when I do it feels…"

"Indescribably wonderful," Naruto asked.

"Yes…"

"That she's the only one you want to kiss?"

"Yes."

"And you just don't want to stop?"

"Yes!"

"And you want to go farther than just that kiss?" I blushed and looked down at my hands. "I do sometimes, but I feel that something like that should be mutually agreed upon before doing it…not something spontaneous that she would regret later."

"Face it Gaara," Naruto said with his silly grin. "You're feelings aren't shallow. You're completely in love with her. You should tell her how you feel." I looked at him with wide eyes. "But what if she doesn't feel the same way…and she's still trying to fix things with Neji…" Naruto laughed. "Neji's out of the running Gaara," he said. "Suki made the choice of going back to you didn't she? Whether or not it was just on a whim I don't know but it's obvious she chose you."

"But if she doesn't feel the same for me…"

"That is very unlikely," Naruto said. "But even then, what's the worst that can happen to you two?"

"I could lose her forever," I muttered. "She could laugh in my face, she could tell me I mean nothing to her…the list is endless."

"I can guarantee you that what you think will happen won't," Naruto said with a smile. I looked at him and shook my head. "How would you know?"

"Because I know someone that confessed his love to her before she left for the Sand village," Naruto answered. "Her friend Choji has been in love with her since they were kids. He finally told her how he felt and you know what happened?"

"She ripped his heart out and tore it to shreds?"

"Aren't you the optimistic one," Naruto said sarcastically. "She told him she was sorry and that she didn't feel the same way. She then said that he was like a brother to her and that she hoped that she wouldn't lose the friendship they had by rejecting him because it was important to her, but she would understand if he never wanted to see her again. Choji told her that it was worse not being around her than being with her, so they're still friends."

"Naruto," I whispered. "I love Suki so much, but I'm so afraid of loosing her. She lives in the same village as Choji and has known him much longer than she's known me. I'm only letters she gets in the mail every so often. Who's to say she won't stop writing me? Besides, she probably still loves Neji despite what you say."

"Well maybe she does a little bit…"

"See? She'll probably tell me something like 'how could I love you when I have someone like Neji…'." Naruto was silent for a while and shook his head. "Just tell Suki how you feel," he said. "She's a good person."

"Tell me how Gaara feel's about what," Suki asked curiously from behind us. Naruto and I almost jumped from our seats. How long had she been standing there? Had she heard how I really felt about her? She probably hadn't…at least I hoped she hadn't. "Uh…" I said with a slight blush as Hinata took a seat next Naruto.

"How Gaara feels about dogs," Naruto said, which didn't sound so believable.

"Okay," she said. "How do you feel about dogs Gaara?" I shrugged as Suki sat next to me. "They're okay," I said. "I guess I like them enough."

"Were you afraid I didn't," she asked.

"I was thinking about getting one," I said. "So I wanted your opinion."

"Well I love them," she said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to stand Kiba." Hinata giggled and Naruto laughed. I smiled and shook my head. "Well let's order something to eat," I said while handing Suki a menu. She nodded and placed her head on my shoulder. I felt myself blush when she did, but I understood and wrapped my arm around her. My blush deepened a bit as she snuggled closer. "Would it be alright for me to sneak a kiss every now and then," she whispered so only I could hear. I gulped, but nodded anyway, knowing that Tessi was watching us intently. Slowly, I pressed my lips against hers and she kissed back tentatively.

"Come on," Naruto said after I pulled away. "That's not a kiss; _this_ is a kiss." He wrapped his arms around Hinata and pulled her in for a strong, passionate kiss. Hinata blushed furiously while Naruto pulled away ever so slowly. "N-Naruto," she said as he smiled his goofy grin. "D-don't do that…"

"Why not," he asked as he pulled her close to him. "Couples do that sort of thing don't they?" Hinata nodded slowly and then shook her head. "Not in public," she whispered. "Or in front of friends." I looked over at Suki and she was glaring at Naruto. At first I thought it was because Naruto had kissed her best friend like that, but then I remembered that those two had been dating almost as long as Neji and Suki had. So why was she looking like that?

"Uh-oh," Hinata said sheepishly.

"What," I asked while looking at her. Hinata blushed and looked down at her lap. "S-Suki's very competitive…" I was a bit confused until Naruto piped up. "Sometimes we went on double dates," he explained. "One time when we did, Suki and I started this competition of whose kiss was hotter. After that, every time we went on a double date we had that contest." I smiled a bit and shook my head. Suki was always a competitive person, but I doubted she would start that up again. Besides, this wasn't one of those dates. I looked over at Suki and my smile fell. "If you think I'm going to lose my professional standing Uzumaki," she muttered in a dangerous voice. "You'd be wrong."

My eyes widened as Suki turned towards me and pulled me in for the most amazing kiss I'd ever had. Her hands clenched my haori as she pressed her lips against mine. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her body, while she licked my lips slowly; begging for entrance which I happily gave. Our tongues fought for dominance and I, being as inexperienced as I was, lost the battle. While Suki pulled away, she sucked my lower lip into her mouth and let her teeth slightly graze the skin.

After she pulled away, I felt myself going back in for more. What stopped me was the sigh that came from Naruto. "You win," he mumbled. "Jeez and I thought I might have you this time."

"Wait," I asked. "How did she win?"

"You leaned in for more," Suki answered calmly with a small blush on her face. I blushed at her answer and had to admit it was a very arousing kiss; it left you craving more. "How is it that you can make any guy lean in Suki," Naruto asked. "It amazes me how you do it."

"So others haven't been able to resist that either," I asked now feeling a little better. Naruto nodded. "I know I couldn't," he said. I stared at him wide eyed while Hinata sighed. "What," I almost shouted. "You and Suki…?"

"It's not what you think," Suki said with a laugh. "We were playing spin the bottle and I landed on Naruto. He told me there was no way I would affect him the way I did Neji and I proved him wrong." Naruto looked at me sheepishly and I couldn't help but glare at him. The thought that the two had actually kissed before made me jealous. "It's not like I felt anything either…well not like I feel with Hinata," Naruto said. "I just couldn't help but lean in again."

"I should teach you my technique Hinata," Suki said with a smile. "I can guarantee that you'll get some action." Hinata blushed horribly at Suki's comment and Naruto's eyes widened. "W-w-what," she stammered. "W-what m-m-makes you think I don't?"

"Let me ask you this, when you're in the mood and Naruto isn't have you been able to get him in the mood," Suki asked with a devious look. Hinata blushed and slightly shook her head. "Just gently suck on his lower lip when you're pulling away from a kiss," she advised. "Like so." Suki turned towards me and pulled me in for another kiss. While pulling away, she sucked on my lower lip again.

"Wow," I mumbled under my breath so she couldn't hear. Suki was right; it did leave you wanting more. "Wanna try," Naruto asked Hinata. She blushed, but did what Suki had advised and left Naruto wide eyed. "That's a real turn on…do it again," he said before catching Hinata's lips with his. I blushed as the two remained lip locked until our waiter came over. "Ahem," he said as Naruto and Hinata pulled away from each other. "May I take your order?" Hinata blushed madly as the waiter looked from her to Suki. "I don't know about anyone else," Naruto said. "But I'd like some Ramen."

"Very good sir," the man said. "And you miss?"

"Udon," Hinata mumbled.

"And for you sir?"

"I'll have the sushi platter," I said. Suki nodded as the waiter looked at her. "That sound's good," she said. "But I'll have the Maki platter instead."

"I'll have your orders ready for you in a moment," the waiter answered. I laughed a bit and Suki looked at me. "What's so funny," she asked. I shook my head. "It's nothing," I said. "It's just that I've brought Matsuri here a few times before and that's what she'd always order." Suki smiled softly, yet for some reason, she looked a little crestfallen. "I see," she whispered. Her smile fell and I felt myself wanting to hold her close. It was like she had been hurt somehow and I had no idea why or how she could have gotten hurt…she smiled again, noticing my confused stares so I just shrugged it off as my imagination.


	22. Chapter 22

Suki's POV

After hearing Gaara talk about Matsuri like that, I felt a twinge of sadness in my heart. The look on his face when he talked about her told me that he loved her. I only wished that maybe he could love me the same way, but that wasn't going to happen. He could never love me the way he loved Matsuri…"Suki," Hinata asked just as our meal was arriving. "Are you alright?"

"Huh, yeah," I said. "I just didn't sleep very well last night."

"That's right," Gaara said with a smile. "I promised you a nap today didn't I?" I smiled with a nod and then punched him lightly in the arm. "Yeah," I said. "You did, and I expect an apology for making me wait so long." Gaara laughed and shook his head. "Would this be considered an apology," he whispered before kissing me. My eyes widened at first, but then I realized that Tessi must be watching us again. I kissed back just as passionately as I had before, and somehow hoped that my feelings might get through to him. They probably wouldn't though, considering that it wouldn't be possible for them to get through to him. No, sometimes it wasn't enough with just body language and facial expressions; but I couldn't find the words to tell him how I felt since I never knew how much power the words 'I love you,' actually had.

Gaara pulled away and I found myself leaning against him just to take in his scent. It calmed me, just as much as his voice did, and even his presence had a tranquil effect on me. "Once we finish here," Gaara whispered in my ear. "I promise we'll go back to the manor." I smiled and nodded.

Once we all finished and the four of us went our separate ways, Gaara lead me back to the manor with his hand in mine. I couldn't help but smile a bit as we walked. It was a nice feeling, the two of us together like this. In fact, I hadn't felt like this for a long time. How Gaara was able to make me feel like I belonged I didn't know, but I still felt happy.

We had just walked into the room we were sharing and just as I was about to lay down for a nap, Gaara grabbed me and pinned me to the door. "G-Gaara," I stammered with a blush. His body was pressed against mine and I felt my heart pounding. "Kiss me Suki," he said. "Like you did at the restaurant." My eyes widened as he kissed me forcefully. It wasn't that I didn't like it, it was just surprising that Gaara would do such a thing; unless…

"I don't want to alarm you," he barely whispered into my ear after pulling away. "But that tiger statue on the table wasn't there before." Gaara ran his hands up and down my body while nipping softly at my neck, making me shiver with pleasure inadvertently. "More Gaara," I moaned, letting him know there were more camera's in the room.

"Where," he mumbled. I pulled him in for a kiss and had him take of his haori, then spread the top of his kimono shirt to expose his chest. Thinking fast, I spun us around so that he would be pinned to the door and then kissed down his neck towards his chest. Once reaching my intended destination, I licked an N, S, W, E onto it; signaling that there were ones in the north, south, west, and east parts of the room. Obviously these people still didn't trust us the way we wanted them to.

"They've covered everywhere," I whispered into his ear after nipping back up his neck. My face became red when Gaara lifted me up and made me wrap my legs around him. "More," he asked while carrying me over to the futon we were supposed to share. _God do I want more,_ I thought to myself. _Much more than this…_

"More," I begged. Gaara smirked at me to fool the people watching us and slowly undid my obi. It was sort of amazing how he had changed into this lustful creature in front of the cameras and yet I could still see a look of apology in his eyes. "You know, Naruto was right," he said. "That thing you do at the end of a kiss is really a turn on." My blush deepened and I felt that maybe I should start to tease him a bit. "You like it that much huh," I asked while pushing him down on the futon and straddling him. "Well then, you're going to like what I've got in store for you."

Gaara blushed as I took off his kimono shirt and stared at his unbelievable upper body. "Suki," he whispered while his face grew even redder. I smirked and nipped at his neck while clawing slightly at his chest.

Gaara was barely able to hold back a moan as I did this and wrapped his arms around me. Pulling me down on top of him, he kissed my head and slowly began to fiddle with the hooks to my bra. I smiled and shook my head slightly, knowing that even though my face was in his chest, he was blushing like he had earlier. "Let me," I whispered while sitting up. I was right about his blush, he looked like a tomato and I wondered if maybe he hadn't gotten this far with Matsuri before…feeling my heart sink, I pulled off my kimono thinking that maybe I was taking advantage of this situation. It really wasn't like that though; the Kusanagi's still didn't believe our ruse.

I felt Gaara's hands run up and down my hips slowly as I took off my kimono and bra. His eyes widened as I leaned in to kiss him again. "Suki," he whispered. "I…I…" Kissing him, I pulled away slowly with a sad smile. The look in Gaara's eyes changed slightly. He flipped me over suddenly and kissed down my neck towards my chest. "G-Gaara," I mumbled in a surprised voice. I felt my heart skip a beat as he claimed one of my breasts in his mouth and massaged the other with one of his hands. I moaned his name loudly and slowly grinded up against him. My hands played with his hair as he finished with my breasts and slowly nipped down my stomach.

Everywhere he touched me, I felt hot and my body was reacting in ways I never thought it would. I realized that this wasn't just something I wanted anymore; I _needed_ it. "Suki," he said while lightly nipping my upper hip. "I know I promised to wait until you were ready for this, but I don't know how much longer I can hold back. Do you still need more time?"

I wanted to say no, to tell him I wanted this now and that I needed him, but I couldn't do that to Matsuri. No matter how much I loved Gaara, they had each other. "Yes," I forced myself to say. "I need just a little more time. I've just never done this before so I'm afraid…" Gaara held me close and I felt myself melt in his arms. "It's alright," he said. "When you're ready, you'll know."

"I love you Gaara," I said, not able to hold my words back. "I love you so much." I was so happy I wasn't looking into his eyes because if I had been, he would have known the truth. If he was happy with Matsuri, I couldn't tell him how I really felt because…because it would ruin the relationship he had with her. I couldn't be the other girl, no matter how much I loved Gaara…he deserved happiness and if Matsuri made him happy then…_That stupid girl wouldn't make Gaara half as happy as you could,_ my brain thought. _She doesn't deserve a guy like him!_

_Shut up,_ I thought. _I don't care…as long as Gaara's happy._

_Just saying,_ my brain answered. I ignored it as Gaara lay down while still holding me. It reminded me of the time I had fallen asleep on him and he had left to fight that member of the Akatsuki. That was the night I figured out I was in love with him…if only I knew how I had felt before then. Maybe he would be with me instead of Matsuri, but then again, I probably wouldn't be the one for him. How could Gaara love someone like me?

My throat closed and I rolled off next to Gaara and looked at the ceiling. I squinted at a small dot that I hadn't noticed there before and realized it wasn't a dot at all. "Gaara," I mumbled. "What hotel did Naruto and Hinata say they were staying at?"

Shikamaru's POV

"I can't believe you've talked me into this," I muttered as Shino typed away at a keyboard.

"Look," Temari said while standing next to me. "We need to know if they really love each other and how they act when they're alone together."

"A little more to the left Kiba," Shino ordered over a microphone. "Too much! Back to the right again…damn it Kiba!"

"Shut up," Kiba's voice said as it came in over the speakers. "I'm doing the best I can! Why not use you're insects to do this?"

"One more complaint from you," Shino said. "And I'll give you and Akamaru fleas." Kiba glared into the camera he had been fixing up, but kept his mouth shut. "I still find it hard to believe you're a computer nerd Shino," I said as I watched him tic away at a few keys.

"I prefer the term 'computer wiz'," he mumbled in a dangerous voice. I smiled slightly and nodded. "Are Naruto and Hinata still keeping an eye on Gaara and Suki," Kuronai asked.

"As far as I know," Temari said. "Although Hinata didn't seem too thrilled with this idea."

"She still wants Suki and Neji to make up," Kuronai said with a small sigh. "A part of me still wants them to too, but…the way Suki is around Gaara; it reminds me of when Asuma and I started dating. She certainly acts like she loves him, even if she doesn't realize it yet." Temari smiled and shook her head. "Oh, she's in love with him alright," she said. "There's no doubt about it in my mind. From what Kankuro and his friend Sumi have told me, there is no way Suki can't love him."

"Then what is all this stuff for," I shouted as Temari giggled. "You just said you wanted to know if they really loved each other or not, now you say that Suki definitely loves him?"

"I said I know Suki loves Gaara, I don't know if Gaara loves Suki," she said while folding her arms. "I know he likes her a lot, but I don't know if he's really in love with her, like she is with him. Although, I think he might be."

"You think he might be," I yelled, continuing my rant. "Well this is perfect! My sister is getting set up for another heartache with you at the wheel! I can't let this happen to her; not again…not if I can do something about it!"

"Shut up for once Shikamaru," Temari said with a sigh. "You're her older brother I get that but the fact is that Gaara cares for her more than Neji ever did! I'm not saying he loves her the way she loves him, he may just think of her as a sister or something but the fact remains that Gaara is the better of any choice she could make!" I had to agree with her on that. I may not like Gaara dating my sister, but he had always been there for her whenever she needed it. In fact, if I could choose who Suki dated, I'd have picked Gaara over Neji any day. Thing is that dad and I had been thinking she would fall in love with Choji and marry him…I guess things don't always turn out the way you want them too.

"They're going back to the manor," Naruto yelled while bursting the door open. Akamaru let out a huge yelp when the door slammed on his tail as Naruto rushed into the hotel room. "Akamaru," Kiba shouted into the microphone. "What happened?" Akamaru let out a whine to notify the turn of events that had just transpired. Before Kiba could say anything though, Shino interrupted him. "Kiba, get out now!"

"But I haven't put up the microphones yet," he answered.

"The jar I gave you," Shino shouted. "Open it! It may look like a bug but it's really a small robotic microphone that acts like an insect."

"Cool," Kiba said while opening a small jam jar. The robotic insect flew out and landed on the ceiling, camouflaging itself nicely. "Now get out of there before they come in," Shino muttered angrily. Kiba nodded and rushed out the window but remembered to shut it behind him.

"Remind me why everyone is doing this again," I mumbled, still feeling sick to my stomach. If Suki found out any of this she'd kill me. Worse than that…she'd torture me before killing me in the worst possible way and even after all the torture it would feel like a mercy killing. I had seen her work as a ninja. She always got the information the Leaf Village needed, and wasn't afraid to cause both mental and physical suffering in men. I remember once she had me use a transformation jutsu to pose as a guy's wife and had me wear a gadget she had thought of. It was small packets of fake blood underneath the kimono I had on and whenever she sliced them with a kunai, blood would come pouring out of the fake wound and I had to make cries of pain as the man she was trying to get information from was tied to a chair and forced to watch the execution of his wife. I bet he had a real surprise when his real wife came home later on!

"Did I make it," Kiba shouted while throwing the door open onto Akamaru's tail once more. The poor dog was having a horrible day and no one was making it any better. "Poor Akamaru," Hinata whispered as the dog put its head in her lap and whined. She patted his head and his tail thumped back and forth on the ground. "Sorry buddy," Kiba said with a small smile. "I didn't mean to slam the door onto your tail." Akamaru whined at his owner and tilted his head in a forgiving manner.

"They're back at the manor," Shino announced as though nothing had gone on. Kiba rushed over to the computer along with Naruto, Temari, and even Akamaru. "Damn," Temari said. "They noticed the cameras."

"How do you know that," Naruto asked. "Maybe Gaara took my advice and told her how he's felt all this time."

"Does he love her Naruto," Temari asked. Naruto shrugged. "I really think he does. The thing is that he's so afraid of losing her that he doesn't want to tell her." Hinata tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to look at her. "Shikamaru," she mumbled. "I think I should tell you something." I nodded and walked with her to a more secluded part of the room. "What is it," I asked. Hinata blushed and looked at her feet as she so often did when she spoke to me. Even as children she always regarded me with a fond respect.

"Um…," she whispered. "It's about Suki…"

"What about her," I asked. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…"

"What?"

"I know you don't want to interfere with her life and this is the only reason I'm telling you this." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Suki really is in love with Gaara." I stood there, slightly shocked, but nodded dumbly at her response. "She told you," I finally asked. Hinata nodded. "Please Shikamaru," she whispered. "I don't want any of the others knowing. I feel horrible enough about this…I don't like messing with my best friend's love life."

I nodded as Hinata turned away and sat on the bed ignoring the others staring intently at the computer. The only one not showing any interest in this was Kuronai, who sat in a chair sharpening a few shurrican. I leaned against the wall and sighed. Hinata was right. If my sister and Gaara really did love each other, then they would find a way of telling the other on their own. We didn't need to be meddling in this at all; besides, if Suki knew all about this and what I was doing…she would think I broke that promise we made all those years ago…

"Gaara," I heard my sister's voice scream over the speakers. My eyes widened as I looked towards the group. "Kiba," Shino shouted. "I told you not to touch the headphone jack!"

"Well you're the one that's hogging all the sound to himself," Kiba shouted back. "It's not fair that the rest of us have to sit back and watch with no sound!"

"You seem to be getting off alright; you got blood on my keyboard!"

"That wasn't me; that was Naruto! He's the one with the nosebleed!"

Hinata and I glared at Naruto as he attempted to wipe the small trickle of blood from his upper lip. "Am not," he mumbled. I rolled my eyes as Hinata smacked him over the head lightly with the book she had been reading. I smiled slightly to myself, thinking that out of all the years I'd known Hinata, she seemed to act a bit more like Suki. She wasn't always afraid of expressing her feelings any more and she smiled a lot more. Although, she was probably getting those qualities from Naruto as well…

"I think we have a slight problem," Shino said. "Suki's getting dressed." I let out a sigh of relief, now knowing nothing was going on between my sister and Gaara along with the fact that the others weren't getting a show anymore. "How is that a problem," Kuronai asked. "I find that a slight relief. I don't need to hear one of my former students having sex with the Kazekage." I found myself turning red at the thought and wishing she had phrased that a little more delicately.

"That's not the problem," Shino said now pushing away from the computer. "I think she may have noticed the bug I had Kiba put in the room."

"Shit," I said. "If she knows we're all dead."

"Oh come on," Kiba said while leaning back in his chair. "How would she know, besides, it's a small bug and it's not like it's easy to spot."

"Suki has great eye sight," Kuronai said while folding her arms. "I've seen her hit a perfect bulls-eye two hundred yards away without a scope." Kiba's grin turned to a worried frown and I could understand how he felt. The wrath of Suki wasn't a pleasant thing to deal with. She was worse than our mother when she was angry. "Did she look directly at the insect," I asked. Shino shrugged. "Can't really tell; She just told Gaara she was going for a walk but knowing her," he muttered. I nodded knowing he had a point.

"She probably went for a walk," Naruto said. "There's no way she could figure it out."

"Suki's smart," Kiba said while sitting in a different chair. "Very smart."

"Come on…how smart?"

"As smart as I am sadly," I muttered.

"So?"

"Naruto," Kuronai said. "Shikamaru and Suki share the same IQ. It happens to be over 200." Naruto with a look of shock looked from Kuronai to me, then back to Kuronai. I nodded slowly and looked down at the ground. It's not that I was embarrassed about how smart I was, but it made me feel different from other people. It didn't seem to affect Suki as much as it did me, but she had enough to worry about besides being an outcast.

"So will she be here to kill us or…?"

"I'm afraid that she," I began.

"That she would find out," came a voice behind me. I turned around to face Suki who was standing in the doorway with her arms folded. Naruto quickly grabbed a book which he held upside down, Kiba started to pick insects out of Akamaru's fur, Shino played a computer game, and Hinata was now helping Kuronai sharpen kunai's. Temari pretended to be interested in the game Shino was playing, so that left Suki staring right at me. "What kind of a sick joke was that," she shouted. "I want all those cameras out without Gaara finding out it was you guys that did it!"

"Suki," Temari said. "It's not what you think…"

"Oh no?" She stomped over to the computer and pressed a few keys. Once she did, the camera's came back on and Shino looked at her in an approving manner. "How did you know my code," he asked.

"I've watched you hit those keys time and time again," Suki said with a sigh. "It was easy to pick up on." She walked past me without even looking me in the eye. That wasn't good. "Suki," I whispered.

"Shut up," she shouted while whirling around to face me with tears in her eyes. "You…How could you do such a thing? After all these years, you're just like the rest of them…after you promised me Shika, after all that we've been through together…it turns out you really are like them after all…"

"It's not his fault," Temari butted in. "It was my idea and I got everyone else to help me with it. I wanted to see if you and Gaara…"

"If Gaara and I what," Suki said while turning her anger onto Temari. Temari took a small step back. She had never seen Suki in this state, and even I had to say it was a very rare occasion that she got this mad. "I just wanted to see if that prophecy was true," Temari mumbled. "I think it might involve Gaara." Suki was speechless for a moment; she closed her eyes and focused on keeping her anger at a stable level. "Don't," she said as her body tensed. "Just don't."

"Look," Temari said. "It says…"

"I know what it says," Suki screamed. "Damn it do I know what it says! For your information, that damn thing has been running my entire life instead of letting me live it!"

"Suki," Hinata said softly as she reached out to touch her best friends arm.

"Don't touch me," Suki yelled while moving away from Hinata. "I can't even look at all of you. I hate you all!" She turned to run but I grabbed hold of her on an impulse. I couldn't just leave her like this.

"I'm sorry," I shouted as she ripped her arm from my grasp. "I'm so sorry Suki…I should have stopped them I just…" A leg met my stomach and I felt a fist bash against my left cheek. I collapsed onto the bed and while restraining me, Suki bent over me with a kunai dangerously pointing to my jugular. "Out of everyone here," she murmured. "I hate you the most. You promised Shikamaru…you promised!"

I felt the kunai dig into my skin just a bit. I looked into my twins eyes and saw pure anger raging through them like a storm. She pushed away from me, yet I could still feel her hardened gaze upon my body. Suki put away the weapon and turned to go. Before leaving she called over her shoulder. "You've betrayed me, my dear brother…"

I closed my eyes with a sigh and shook my head slightly. Pain coursed through my body as I tried to sit up. "Don't strain yourself," Kuronai mumbled while she placed a cloth onto my neck. I hadn't realized it, but there was a small trickle of blood coming from the spot that Suki had pointed her kunai. I could also feel blood in my mouth from her punch as well. She really had done a number on me, but that was nothing compared to what she could have done.

I was such an idiot…Suki had always counted on me for important things and out of everyone in our family she had trusted me the most. I betrayed that trust just by because I had started to believe in that stupid prophecy. I placed a hand on my head and lay down again with a groan.

"What was Suki talking about," Temari asked slowly as everyone looked at me like I was on my deathbed. I shook my head and smiled a bit. "Don't worry about it," I mumbled. "It's not important."

"Shikamaru," Kuronai said. "I'd like it if you explained. I've never seen Suki that angry at you."

"What did she mean that it's been running her life," Hinata asked in a low voice. "I had no idea she felt that way and I'm her best friend…" I sighed, knowing if I didn't start talking that everyone would keep annoying me till I started spilling the story. "Look," I mumbled. "What I say can't get back to Suki, nor does it leave this room."

"What is this prophecy that everyone keeps yapping about," Naruto asked while folding his arms. I smirked, knowing that only Hinata, Temari, and Kuronai really had been told about it. Actually I was pretty sure that even Neji had learned about it but I couldn't be so sure of that. Suki never mentioned telling him and a part of me was sure she would never tell him the secrets she had been carrying her whole life.

"I'm not speaking about it until you all promise me not to tell anyone about it," I said while sitting up on the bed again. Kiba placed a hand over his chest and held up the other, Shino nodded solemnly, Naruto crossed his heart, and the girls gave me a reassuring smile.

"Okay," I said. "You've all learned about the prophecy in school, well at least the ones of us from the leaf village have. It goes 'the shadow shall fall for he who can not feel love; yet he, in turn, will love her as well'. What you don't know is that it really is from the Nara clan."

"Really," Kiba asked. "I always thought it was just something they made up to teach us the wrong about falling for someone we had to either protect or get rid of."

"Well that's one of the reasons why they taught it in the school," I said. "The thing is, another part you don't know is that in our family women can't control shadows. Well, that's putting it in the wrong terms…the women in our family are rarely born with the ability to use jutsu's. Suki was the first one in at least ten generations…before she was born our family was waiting for the one the prophecy spoke of. Our ancestors decided that when a girl was born with the ability to control shadows, she would become head of the clan and got a few other perks as well."

"So," Shino asked. "What does that have to do with how angry Suki was?"

"We have a huge extended family as well. Our father was the first of twelve. Everyone at least has two to five kids. A huge majority of them are girls too. All of them wanted their precious little girls to become the head of the clan. Only dad could have cared less, so when he found out that it was Suki he didn't want anyone to know about it. Only my mother, the Hokage, Suki, and I knew what she was able to do. Suki promised never to tell anyone in the family about it or anyone else until my father was ready to tell everyone.

"Problem is that he never got the chance to because our family found out before. An uncle brought over his three daughters when Suki and I were five to visit. Our aunt and our father took us near to a river after it had rained a little. Dad went to get some ice cream and while he was gone, the youngest of the three slipped and fell into the river. The current was too strong for anyone to swim in and Suki was much more developed in using the shadow jutsu's than I was. She saved our cousins life that day and you'd think that everyone would have called her a hero. Instead, the girls beat her without mercy because she was the one that could use shadows. Our aunt did nothing, just watched as I tried to help my sister. If dad hadn't gotten back when he did, I don't know what would have happened."

I looked at the ground and shook my head as everyone stared at me with shock. "Why would they do that," Naruto shouted. "Family doesn't do that to one another!" I shrugged. "Those three girls were spoiled horribly and always got what they wanted. The rest of the attacks came from jealous family members. You've probably seen Suki naked right Hinata?" Hinata gave a small blush and nodded. "She has scars in vital places, not a lot, but like three or four," she whispered. "There's one right by her neck that you can barely see."

"An uncle of ours went after her with a kitchen knife to the throat," I said with a nod. "She got lucky, if she hadn't moved her head the way she did he would have killed her. The doctor told us that had the knife gone another inch she would have died. There's no telling how many times she's been beaten, stabbed, burned, and once she was almost drowned. It all had to do with the fact that they all hated her for being the one from the prophecy.

"The last time she ended up in the hospital from a family member she was eight years old. One of our older cousins had cut open her stomach with a kunai and she had to stay in the hospital until they took the stitches out. I was playing go with her and she hadn't spoken to anyone for days. That was when she made me promise that I wouldn't think of her as anything else but a sister, that she wasn't the girl they spoke of in the prophecy. I told her that she'd only be my sister and that I loved her as one. She cried so hard when I told her that…that promise meant so much to her and I've kept it until now. Hell I even promised myself that I wouldn't think of her as just some girl from a prophecy."

"Shikamaru," Temari whispered as I felt my throat close. "Why didn't you tell me this? I had no idea…"

"Why is this prophecy so important to your family anyway," Kiba asked. "It's so stupid for people to do this sort of stuff over a stupid thing that was said by someone a long time ago."

"It's not just that," I whispered. "The one that she falls in love with is supposed to bring the clan great prosperity, fame, and wealth. I don't know why that would make my family do such things to a young girl, but they were all jealous and full of greed; maybe Suki's right…maybe I am just like the rest of our family."

"You're anything but that," Kuronai said. "The fact that you were able to keep that promise for ten years is pretty big, and it's not like you had any way of telling us about what happened in the past."

"I never knew," Hinata mumbled as tears ran down her cheeks. "I remember seeing her in the hospital when we were younger but I was always told she had a sickness. Suki always had a happy smile on her face when I visited and rarely complained…did she ever tell Neji about this?" Naruto pulled Hinata into his arms and kissed her forehead in an attempt to comfort her. "She may have," I said. "That would account for the fact of his need to protect her every minute of everyday." Hinata nodded and shoved her face into Naruto's chest.

"You should have said something Shikamaru," Temari said. "I would never have started this whole thing if only I had known."

"How could I," I asked. "Would you have listened to me if I said something?" Temari looked at the ground and I sighed. I wondered if Suki would ever forgive me. She probably would, but if I were her, I never would. She had every right to hate me now, just as much as she hated the rest of our family; excluding mom and dad of course. I really hadn't meant to hurt her…I loved my sister and if only she knew that I really wanted to keep my promise. I guess she wouldn't care if I said anything now.


	23. Chapter 23

Suki's POV

I found myself walking aimlessly through the garden at the manor. I didn't really want to look at Gaara right now, nor did I want to explain to him why I left him. I told him I wanted to give back the handkerchief that I had borrowed from Hinata while I was speaking to her in the bathroom while we were at the restaurant, but the look on his face was one of disbelief.

Instead of going back like I should have, I climbed up a tree and lay on one of the branches. Closing my eyes, I felt tears come down my cheeks as I cried silently. I sort of felt bad for what I did to Shikamaru. Perhaps I had over reacted just a smidge, but he did break that promise I held to dearly. It may have been a silly childish promise to him, but to me…it meant everything. Everyone in my family hated or resented me for who I was, except my parents. I felt that Shikamaru might as well. I could see the two of us as children in the hospital in my minds eye. The two of us playing go while I was lying in the bed and he was sitting next to me. It had been summer the last time I had been attack by a family member, and I could still hear the cicada's cries coming in from the hospital room window.

"_Shika," I finally said after he took his turn. "Do you hate me too?" He looked at me questioningly and shook his head. "No," he mumbled. "Why would you think that?" I looked down at my hands. "Everyone else does…"_

"_Mom and dad don't."_

"_They have to love me," I said. "I'm their daughter!"_

"_Choji doesn't." I nodded slowly. "But you…"_

"_I don't hate you Suki," he whispered. "Sure you annoy me sometimes but you're supposed too. You're my sister and that's also why I love you." I smiled at him and nodded slightly. "I love you too big bro," I said. "I just don't understand why everyone else wants to hurt me." Shikamaru sighed as I looked out the window. "Something's on your mind isn't it," he asked with a worried stare. I shrugged, still looking out at the garden by the window. "I want you to promise me something Shika," I whispered. "Promise me that you'll never think that I'm just a part of that stupid prophecy and promise me that you'll always love me as your little sister?"_

"_Troublesome twin," Shika said as I looked back at him. "I'll always love you 'cause you're my sister and I never did think of you as that girl in the prophecy."_

"_Really?"_

"_Really."_

"_So you promise?"_

"_I promise."_

_I threw my arms around my older brother's neck, making the game board and pieces fly all over the place. "Hey," Shikamaru cried while struggling in my grip. "Cut it out!" I felt myself laugh at the sight of the two of us together so long ago. Shika didn't like to be shown any sort of affection and never really liked being hugged. "Suki," said a voice next to me as the memory faded away. "What prophecy are you two talking about?"_

_I felt my heart jump to my throat as I turned to see Gaara standing there. "It's nothing Gaara," I mumbled. His arms found their way around my waist as he pulled me in for a hug. "Then why did you seem so upset?" I clenched Gaara's shirt with my hands and felt myself start to cry again. "Because…because my life was always run by that stupid prophecy," I muttered into his chest. "I hate it…it caused my entire family to hate me, except for my mom, dad, and Shikamaru. Just because I'm the first girl to use my family's jutsu in ten generation's they assume it has to be me!"_

"_Is it such a bad prophecy," Gaara asked while pulling away from me and wiping my tears away with a small smile. I nodded slowly. "'The shadow shall fall for he who can not feel love; yet he, in turn, will love her as well,'" I mumbled. "The second part wasn't added on until a hundred and fifty years ago, and a lot of the people in my family think it's just there to make the girl feel better."_

"_I see," Gaara said. "So this girl is supposed to fall in love with someone that can't feel love?"_

"_I'm supposed to fall in love with someone that can't love me back," I whispered as my throat closed again. "I'm the girl it's talking about…it's my destiny…"_

"_Who says it's been written in stone," Gaara asked with a small laugh. "Who says it really is about you?"_

"_Because I can manipulate shadows like all the others of my family," I shouted. "Well all the men anyway…I hate it. I hate having to be the one this talks about. I was never loved by my external family, I was never loved by Neji, and I'll never be loved by anyone that I truly love. I was never meant to be loved!"_

"_Would you rather be with Neji," Gaara asked, seeming a little hurt that I mentioned him. "Do you still love him?"_

"_No, that's not it," I said a little too fast. I felt my eyes grow wide with shock…it was then that I realized it. I really didn't love Neji anymore. Perhaps I did once, but now that I thought about it, I didn't anymore. I loved Gaara…but if I loved Gaara, that meant…_

"_No," I whispered while tears came to my eyes again. "Why…why did it have to be this way?"_

"_What are you talking about," Gaara asked while wiping my eyes once more. I felt myself shiver as he held me close again. "Why did it have to be you," I mumbled while my fists clenched the front of his shirt. "Why did it have to be the one person that really seemed to care for me…why must it go on like this…?"_

"_Is it really me that you love Suki," Gaara asked while making me look at him. There was no way I could lie to him when I looked him in the eyes. I nodded slowly. "Yes Gaara," I murmured. "It really is you." Gaara wasted no time in pulling me in for a passionate kiss. I felt myself melt as he held me close. When he pulled away, he looked me straight in the eye and smiled slightly. "Don't say it," I breathed. "Please…"_

"_I love you Suki," he said._

"_Please," I begged. "Don't say that."_

"_I love you._

"_Don't…"_

"_I love you."_

"_Please stop…"_

"_I love you."_

"_Stop it!"_

"_I love you Suki Nara."_

"Stop saying that!" I jerked awake from my slumber and felt myself begin to fall. I screamed and closed my eyes as I braced myself to hit ground, only to be caught by strong arms. "G-Gaara," I mumbled before opening my eyes.

"Not exactly, no," said a voice. I looked up as I saw Kei Kusanagi staring down at me with laughter in his eyes. I blushed as he still held me in his arms. "I didn't think the flowers were supposed to fall from the trees just yet," he said. "And I've caught such a beautiful blossom too."

"Would you cut the horrible pick up lines and put me down please," I muttered. He smiled and shook his head. "What if I didn't want to," he asked with a laugh. I growled at him and started to flail about helplessly in his arms. "Kusanagi, you better put me down right now before I kick your sorry ass," I shouted.

"My, my," he said while clicking his tongue. "Such bad language used in front of a lord…but very well, if you insist." Kusanagi dropped me down on the ground instead of placing me on it and now I was in a fairly bad mood. "What was that for," I shouted while getting up suddenly. "You didn't have to drop me like that!"

"Well you said you wanted to be put down," he said with a smile. "You just didn't specify how you wanted to be put down."

"Why do you insist on tormenting me so much," I asked while folding my arms. He smiled. "You remind me of someone that I once tormented when I was a child as well. In fact, I had a great joy in doing so."

"Who was that," I asked. "You're enemies?"

"No," Kusanagi said with a sad smile. "My wife."

"I didn't know you were married," I said as the two of us walked back toward the manor. He shook his head. "I lost her to childbirth," he said. "My son as well." I stopped and felt a sadness overwhelm me. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to pry…" He smiled back at me. "It wasn't something you knew about; besides it happened five long years ago," he said.

"I'm very sorry Lord Kusanagi," I said slowly.

"Listen," Kusanagi said kindly while turning to face me. "You don't need to apologize. It's not something you would have known about; but I will forgive you on one condition."

"What is that," I asked.

"Stop calling me Lord Kusanagi when we're alone," he said. "It's much too stuffy and I'd rather you called me Kei."

"Kei," I whispered.

"See," he said with a laugh. "Much better now isn't it?" I smiled and shook my head. This lord was nothing like what I thought he would be like. I had always thought that a lord was nothing more than a pompous old windbag sort of person that only sat on his laurels doing nothing to help those in need. Kei was quite different. He actually worried about the people he governed and didn't resort to violence unless, it seemed, was absolutely necessary.

"What do you think of the garden," Kei asked as we continued to walk through it. "My wife loved it."

"It's very nice," I whispered, bending over to look at some small lavender bushes. Kei came closer and stood next to me. "Those were her favorite," he whispered. "She loved tending to the garden. In fact, she was the child of our head gardener when I was a boy. The two of us used to play here whenever I ditched my studies and other activities; which was quite often now that I think about it."

"She sounds like a wonderful woman," I said while straightening up and turning to face Kei. "She must have cared for you deeply."

"That she did," Kei said with a laugh. "I don't know how or when she fell in love with me. For me, it was her spunkiness and sassiness that made me fall for her; although I must admit that her beauty might have had something to do with it too. How did you fall for the Kazekage, if I may ask?"

"I don't know how," I whispered. "I never really realized it until that strange dream I had. In the dream, I was standing with him in a grassy field and he told me he needed me to know that he loved me. At first I didn't know what to say… and that was when I realized it. I truly loved him back as well."

"Is that so," Kei asked. "It's strange how some people realize their love for another. Sometimes love comes upon them gradually, other times it's love at first sight. I believe you and the Kazekage fall under the latter of the two." I had to stifle a sarcastic laugh. Gaara didn't fall in love with me at first sight, nor would it ever come upon him gradually. He already had someone and I…well, I would never be loved by anyone I felt that way toward now would I?

"Suki," I heard Gaara's voice call from ahead of us. "Where are you?" I felt a sudden blush came to my face when I realized I had left him alone for quite a while. Man, he wasn't going to be so happy when he found out I had been sleeping on the job.

"Lord Gaara," Kei said once he found us. "I trust you are well?"

"Better now that I found my fiancé," Gaara muttered angrily. "Where have you been Suki? It's been almost three hours and I was very worried about you!" I hung my head in shame as Kei shook his head. "I found her in the garden," Kei said with a small smile. "Actually, it's more like she fell from the sky just as an angel does when it falls from heaven." I glared at him as Gaara folded his arms and looked at me questioningly.

"Excuse me," Gaara said.

"I fell because I was asleep in a tree," I answered guiltily. "I must have moved and Lord Kusanagi caught me just before I hit the ground."

"I apologize for my fiancé's clumsiness, Lord Kusanagi," Gaara said while looking over at him. "I promise you that it won't happen again." Kei laughed heartily and shook his head once more. "Oh don't worry about it," he answered before taking my hand and kissing it. "I only wish a beautiful woman would fall in my arms everyday."

Fire seemed to rage behind Gaara's cool eyes as he wrapped a protective arm around me and pulled me close to him. I blushed slightly and laid my head on his chest, listening to his soft heartbeat. I felt myself smile a little despite the fact Gaara was obviously angry with me. His lips softly brushed against my head as he held me close and I blushed. He always seemed to make my heart beat faster than normal and could always make my blood flow to the top of my head.

"I shall leave you two alone now," Kei said before turning to go. "One more thing though…I wish to invite you and your lovely fiancé to dinner tonight. Say, the main dining room in half an hour? My brother and his family will be attending as well if that is alright with you."

"Yes that's fine," Gaara said as Kei nodded with a smile before he left. Gaara sighed a little but still didn't release me from his grip. "I'm sorry Gaara," I mumbled. "I went for a small walk and fell asleep in a tree. I didn't mean to but…"

"It's alright Suki," he whispered. "I'm not mad at you. I was just really worried something might have happened to you." I couldn't understand it, why was Gaara being so nice to me? I mean, I broke one of the biggest rules of guarding someone as a ninja. Never under any circumstances leave the one you are guarding alone for an extended period of time; especially in enemy territory, regardless of how well the person being guarded can take care of themselves. It was even worse since Gaara was the Kazekage of the Sand. If they lost him again, it would be my fault. Hell if _I_ lost him again I don't know what I'd do; probably die of starvation or something like that…and I wouldn't be able to live with the fact that it was my fault he got hurt or died.

"You shouldn't be so kind to me about this," I mumbled. "I left you alone for a long time." Gaara kissed my forehead and let me go. "I know," he said. "I just can't stay angry with you for so long Suki; I mean, I was really upset you were gone for such a long time and I've been very worried about you. In fact, I was extremely angry at you for a bit, but once I found you, all my anger just washed away and was replaced by shear relief that I found you safe and sound. Kind of silly isn't it?"

"Not really," I said with a small smile while shaking my head. "But a part of me is really wondering if you're really Gaara. There are only two ways I can tell the real Gaara from a fake Gaara. One of them is by asking a question." He laughed and smiled at me. "Ask me anything I would know then," he said. "That would prove who I am."

"Okay," I said while folding my arms with a smile. "When was the first time we kissed?" Gaara's face turned beat red as he looked down at the ground. "Ask me anything but that please," he whispered.

"Nope, you told me to ask you anything and this is the question I want answered." Gaara sighed and mumbled something. "Sorry," I said. "I didn't quite hear you."

"I said the first time I ever kissed you was when you were laying on Shiranna's couch," he whispered in a low voice. "But the first time we ever kissed mutually was in a closet at your friends' house…" I blushed as the memory of that night came flooding back to me. Had I known then what the future would hold, I would have told him then that I liked him; I had no idea that I would grow to love him this way. Looking into his eyes I felt myself blush a bit and I felt myself wanting to kiss him.

Forcing myself to look away, I folded my hands behind my back and started to walk away with Gaara. "Just out of sheer curiosity," Gaara said. "What's the other way you can tell it's me without asking a question that only I would know the answer to?" I blushed and walked a little faster. "Never mind," I said.

"Suki," Gaara said with a small smile. "I answered your question, now answer mine." My blush deepened as I turned to face him. There was no way out of this and I knew that Gaara would annoy me about it until I told him, but I was still going to try. "You don't want to know," I said slowly. Gaara folded his arms and shook his head. "You know," he said. "You were able to ask me a question, but I don't know if you're the real Suki. Tell me, when I leaved your village after Sasuke was taken, what did you give me?"

"That's an easy one," I said. "I gave you a snow globe with wolves in it. They're howling up at the moon."

"Wrong," Gaara said.

"No I'm not," I said. "I did give that to you!"

"You gave me your address. I had to open the gift at home," he said with a smile. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Fine, be literal," I said sourly before walking away, pretending to be angry.

"Suki," Gaara said. "I was just kidding." I turned to smile at him. "I know," I said. "Just thought I'd mess with you like you messed with me." Gaara smiled back and shook his head. "So now will you tell me what other way you would know it was me instead of a fake?"

"No," I said.

"Come on," Gaara said. "I'm really curious and I could use it as a question if we ever got separated again." I sighed. Gaara would be that evil to me…but how could I tell him that it was the way he kissed me without letting him know I loved him? It wasn't that easy.

"Suki," Gaara asked while looking at me concerned. "You okay? You're spacing out on me…"

"I'm fine," I whispered while looking away. "I'll tell you but you have to promise not to laugh okay?" Gaara nodded as I took a deep breath. "I know it's you when you kiss me," I said slowly.

"I'm that bad huh," he asked. I shook my head violently. "No," I mumbled, hoping he wouldn't hear. "You're actually very good." Gaara looked surprised. "Really," he asked. "But you're the only girl I've kissed."

"What," I asked with wide eyes.

"Well, I did kiss Matsuri once," he mumbled while looking away. "I just didn't think I was a good kisser since I didn't have much experience." I shook my head. "Just because you haven't had much experience in kissing doesn't mean your bad at it," I said. Gaara gave me half a smile and shook his head. "Come on," he whispered. "We'll be late for that dinner if we don't hurry up."

Gaara's POV

I watched as Suki left for the hotel Naruto and the others were staying. She said she forgot to ask them something important, but it seemed as though something else was on her mind. Suki was angry, I knew that much, but about what? I sighed and shook my head. How could I be so dense? She was angry with me…she had to be; I mean, the things I did to her…I shoved my face into the pillow and let out a heavy sigh.

I don't know what had come over me. One minute we were trying to fool those damn Kusanagi's and the next I was taken over by this animalistic urge to ravish her body, whether she resisted or not. The only shred of morality I had left made me stop and make up that lie. Had she said no, I would have done what was needed to do to fool those damn brothers; but it would be at a terrible price. Yes, perhaps my lust for Suki would be sated, but for how long? How long would it be before I needed her again?

I loved her deeply and that was one of the reasons I had not allowed my lust to take over; yet there was no way for me to show or tell her my feelings. I wished I could tell her, and then perhaps show her that I loved her more deeply than anyone else had. I sighed again and sat up on the futon. _I love you Gaara,_ her words rang through my head. _I love you so much!_

"Damn it," I shouted while throwing the pillow across the room. "You…you don't mean that…someone like you could never love someone like me…" I was so frustrated with myself. All those things I had done, all those times I held her, kissed her…it was never me she was thinking of. The love I craved from her wasn't possible because she loved someone else. She loved Neji.

_Why did she come back to you after she left with Neji? _Naruto's voice said. _It has to be because she loves you._ I sighed and lay down while closing my eyes. Maybe some sleep would do me good. Perhaps it would at least take my mind of things for a while, even though it didn't really solve the problem. I yawned and felt myself drift off.

"_You're wrong Gaara," a voice said. "I do love you." I opened my eyes to find myself lying in a large meadow with luminescent grass. I sat up quickly and looked around a bit. "Behind you," said a laugh. Looking behind me I saw Suki kneeling there with a smile on her face. "What are you doing here," I whispered. "Am I dreaming?"_

"_Perhaps," Suki said with a shrug. "But you need to know something Gaara. You're wrong."_

"_Wrong about what?"_

"_About how I feel; I do love you."_

"_As a friend right," I said with a small sigh. Suki shook her head. "Brother?"_

"_Gaara," she said with a slight frown. "It's more than that. I never thought that I would love someone as much as I love you. You mean more to me than you'll ever know." Suki wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand and shook her head. "I don't fully understand why I came back but I do know it was because I wanted to stay with you. I was just too afraid to ask." _

"_Suki," I whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_Because I don't think you love me," she said. I shook my head. "I'd be crazy not to," I said before kissing her. I felt as though a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was so happy that she loved me back and this was all I had ever hoped for._

"_I love you," I whispered while pulling away. "I love you more than anything else in the world." Tears ran down Suki's cheeks and I wiped them away. "What's wrong," I asked before taking her in my arms. She shook her head. "It's nothing," she mumbled._

"_She's cursed," another voice said. Looking at the source, I saw Neji standing there with his arms folded across his chest. My grip on Suki became tighter as he stood there with a slight smile. "She hasn't told you yet, has she," he asked. "Oh this ought to be good; don't you remember your destiny Suki?"_

"_Stop it," Suki said in a low voice. "Please…don't."_

"_What are you talking about," I asked. "There's no such thing."_

"_She's never meant to love someone," Neji said. "She will never love someone. She has a destiny to fulfill; one that doesn't involve us."_

"_You're lying," I said angrily. "There's no such thing as a destiny."_

"_Oh no," Neji asked with a smile. "Look her in the eye and see."_

"_I don't have to," I said. "I know I'm right." Looking down at Suki, I saw she was weeping harder than before. Worry shot through me as I knelt down next to her and held her in my arms. "Suki?"_

"_He's right Gaara," she whimpered. "I don't know how to love because of this curse…and I must fulfill a prophecy that has been handed down in my family for generations." I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing for a moment. "What do you mean," I asked slowly, trying to comfort her as best I could._

"_I'm not supposed to love you Gaara!"_

I shot up from my dream in a cold sweat and shivered. It had been a while since I had one so vivid. It was always the terrible ones that were vivid, although I could recall a few that weren't as bad. In fact, now that I thought about it, the only time I had a good dream I remembered it was of Suki…

Looking at the clock, I realized my nap had lasted two hours and forty five minutes. I stretched and stood up, looking around for Suki. There was no sign of her; which was odd since she had told me she wouldn't be gone for more than an hour and a half. Worry raced through me as I slammed the door to our room open; half hoping she would be on the other side of it. "Suki," I called. There was no answer.

"Excuse me," I said to one of the maids walking down the hall. "Have you seen a girl in a green kimono, medium length black hair and brown eyes?"

"No my Lord," she said softly. "I haven't."

"Thank you," I said before quickly turning away and rushing outside. Something must have happened to her. Suki would never be late for anything while on a mission, of that I was sure. She could have gotten hurt, or maybe someone had found out she was a ninja and captured her!

_No,_ I thought while shaking my head and slowing down. _Suki is a Jonin, not to mention quick on her feet and strong. She probably got caught up with talking to Hinata and Naruto._

While trying to comfort myself, I heard a scream issue from the gardens. It sounded too much like Suki and I found myself rushing off towards the source. If something happened to Suki I'd never forgive myself…"Suki," I shouted, not knowing what else to do. "Where are you?"

Coming to a small clearing I found her with Lord Kusanagi. Relief flooded through my veins and I had to restrain myself from pulling her into a tight hug. I saw her smile up at Kusanagi and he smiled back at her. Jealousy coursed through my body and I felt myself grow angry at the fact that the two of them had been spending time together. I know I shouldn't be jealous of them, but I just didn't like the way that guy looked at her…

"Lord Gaara," Lord Kusanagi said, bringing my attention back to him. "I trust you are well?" I stared at him coldly. "Better now that I found my fiancé," I muttered angrily. "Where have you been Suki? It's been almost three hours and I was very worried about you!" Suki hung her head in shame and I felt bad for taking out my anger on her. "I found her in the garden," Lord Kusanagi said with a small smile. "Actually, it's more like she fell from the sky just as an angel does when it falls from heaven." Suki blushed and looked at him.

"Excuse me," I asked, anger returning now that he seemed to be flirting with her.

"I fell because I was asleep in a tree," Suki answered. "I must have moved and Lord Kusanagi caught me just before I hit the ground."

"I apologize for my fiancé's clumsiness, Lord Kusanagi," I said while looking over at him. "I promise you that it won't happen again." Lord Kusanagi laughed heartily and shook his head once more. "Oh don't worry about it," he answered before taking Suki's hand and kissing it. "I only wish a beautiful woman would fall in my arms everyday."

I glared at Kusanagi and wrapped a protective arm around Suki. Trying to remain calm, I felt Suki lay her head on my chest. Breathing in her sweet scent, I felt myself kiss the top of her head and rest my cheek against it. How I wished that I could hold her like this all the time and say she was really my own. "I shall leave you two alone now," Lord Kusanagi said before turning to go. "One more thing though…I wish to invite you and your lovely fiancé to dinner tonight. Say, the main dining room in half an hour? My brother and his family will be attending as well if that is alright with you."

"Yes that's fine," I said as Kusanagi nodded with a smile before he left. I sighed a little but still didn't release Suki from my arms. "I'm sorry Gaara," she mumbled, obviously upset that I was so angry. "I went for a small walk and fell asleep in a tree. I didn't mean to but…"

"It's alright Suki," I whispered. "I'm not mad at you. I was just really worried something might have happened to you." I felt my grip tighten on Suki and I could tell she was going through an internal struggle at the moment since she was fidgeting so a bit. Her hands clenched my kimono top and I held her even closer.

"You shouldn't be so kind to me about this," she mumbled. "I left you alone for a long time." I looked into her eyes and wanted to pull her in for a kiss…instead I kissed her forehead and let her go slowly. "I know," I said while looking away, sort of afraid of telling her the truth. "I just can't stay angry with you for so long Suki; I mean, I was really upset you were gone for such a long time and I've been very worried about you. In fact, I was extremely angry at you for a bit, but once I found you, all my anger just washed away and was replaced by shear relief that I found you safe and sound. Kind of silly isn't it?"

"Not really," Suki said with a small smile while shaking her head. "But a part of me is really wondering if you're really Gaara. There are only two ways I can tell the real Gaara from a fake Gaara. One of them is by asking a question." I laughed and smiled at her. It was a valid question and at the same time I wondered if she was really Suki. The only way I would know if it was her was if we both asked one another a question. "Ask me anything I would know then," I said. "That would prove who I am."

"Okay," Suki said while folding her arms with a smile. "When was the first time we kissed?" I felt the blood rush to my face once she said that and I looked at the ground. "Ask me anything else but that," I whispered.

"Nope, you told me to ask you anything and this is the question I want answered," she said.

"When you were lying on Shiranna's couch," I mumbled in the lowest decibel I could. Suki looked at me quizzically. "I'm sorry, I didn't here you," she said.

"I said the first time I ever kissed you was when you were laying on Shiranna's couch," I whispered in a low voice. "But the first time we ever kissed mutually was in a closet at your friends' house…" I felt myself blush when I thought of the first time we kissed each other. That day…it was the first time I had kissed anyone and I actually liked it. In fact I felt more elation when I was kissing Suki than when I had kissed Matsuri…shaking my head, I started to wonder what the second way she would have known it was me.

"Just out of sheer curiosity," I said. "What's the other way you can tell it's me without asking a question that only I would know the answer to?" Suki walked away faster and it looked like she was blushing. "Never mind," she said.

"Suki," I said with a small smile. "I answered your question, now answer mine." She blushed even more and looked at me. "You don't want to know," she said slowly. I folded my arms and shook my head. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that Suki wouldn't answer my question so I decided to let the subject drop. "You know," I said. "You were able to ask me a question, but I don't know if you're the real Suki. Tell me, when I leaved your village after Sasuke was taken, what did you give me?"

"That's an easy one," Suki said. "I gave you a snow globe with wolves in it. They're howling up at the moon."

"Wrong," I said.

"No I'm not," she said. "I did give that to you!"

"You gave me your address. I had to open the gift at home," I said with a smile. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Fine, be literal," she said sourly before walking away, pretending to be angry.

"Suki," I said, upset that she was angry with me. "I was just kidding." She turned to face me again with a small smile. "I know," she said. "Just thought I'd mess with you like you messed with me." I smiled back and shook my head. "So now will you tell me what other way you would know it was me instead of a fake," I asked, hoping that maybe she would answer this time.

"No," she said.

"Come on," I said, curiosity getting the better of me. "I'm really curious and I could use it as a question if we ever got separated again." I was just joking about that of course, but Suki sighed and shook her head. "I'll tell you but you have to promise not to laugh okay?" I nodded as she took a deep breath. "I know it's you when you kiss me," Suki said slowly.

"I'm that bad huh," I asked, now upset that I had pushed the subject. Suki shook her head violently. "No," she mumbled. "You're actually very good." I looked at her surprised. "Really," I blurted out. "But you're the only girl I've kissed."

"What," she asked with wide eyes.

"Well, I did kiss Matsuri once," I mumbled while looking away. "I just didn't think I was a good kisser since I didn't have much experience." Suki shook her head. "Just because you haven't had much experience in kissing doesn't mean your bad at it," she said. I gave her half a smile and shook my head. The thought of kissing Matsuri was kind of weird to me now. Matsuri was like a sister while Suki was more like…I shook my head again not wanting to think about it anymore. "Come on," I whispered. "We'll be late for that dinner if we don't hurry up."

"Okay Gaara," Suki said with a smile. I felt my heart skip a beat as she smiled at me. She slowly walked closer to me and took my hand in hers. "Let's go," she whispered. I felt myself blush and look away from her. "Right," I mumbled.

The two of us walked hand in hand to the dining hall. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that Suki was now leaning her head on my shoulder as we continued to walk towards the hall. It was as if the two of us really were a couple, but I knew that it wouldn't last forever. This show we put on was only for the mission and nothing more. God how I wished it really was more…

"Lord Gaara," said Lord Kusanagi as we arrived in the dining hall. "Lady Suki. You've already met my brother Tessi, but I don't believe you've met my sister-in-law Lady Hana, and their son, Tanaka."

"We have," I said as Suki and I bowed deeply before taking our seats. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yes," Lady Hana said with a smile. "It is. I'm happy to see the two of you again so soon."

"Momma," the little boy named Tanaka whispered. "I'm hungry…"

"Don't you feed that child of yours," Lord Kusanagi asked with a laugh. "Whenever I see him he comments on how hungry he is." Lady Hana laughed and nodded. "He worked up quite an appetite playing with his little friends earlier today," she answered. "Right after lunch he headed outside and once he came back in I knew he needed another bath…" Suki giggled and shook her head. "What are you laughing about," I asked.

"Oh," she said. "I just remember the times Shika and I came home with dirt all over us." I smiled knowing that Suki was the type to beat her poor brother into submission. "Do tell," Lord Kusanagi said as some of the staff placed food in front of us. "I didn't think you were the type to do such things Lady Suki."

"Yes," Lady Hana said. "You seem so much more lady-like than I." I snorted into the sake that had been served. Suki a lady? It was hard to imagine since most of her letters to me contained all sorts of events. From roughing it on a hard mission to pulling a rotten prank on her brother, Suki was nothing like the girls I knew. She was a complete tomboy and the fact that she had never worn a kimono until now was proof of that. Actually now that I thought about it, it was one of the many attractive qualities she had.

"Something funny Gaara," Suki muttered.

"Oh no," I said while hiding the smile on my face. "Nothing at all…"

"What did you play today Tanaka," Lord Kusanagi asked his nephew. Tanaka smiled and picked at his fish. "We played Ninja's and Samurai's Uncle Kei," he answered. "I was on the Ninja side!"

"How many times have I told you not to play that game," Tessi said while glaring at his son. "It's not proper for you to do so; nor is it proper for you to address your uncle as you did. You must call him Lord Kusanagi."

"Tessi," Lord Kusanagi said. "He's just a child. It's fine with me if he calls me his uncle."

"You'll only confuse the boy. He has to grow up properly or he will be no better than a commoner."

"You're impossible," Lord Kusanagi muttered while taking a bite of rice. I looked down at my food, not really expecting a family spat to take place at dinner.

"Please you two," Lady Hana mumbled as her husband took a large gulp of sake. "You have guests. Don't argue like this."

"So Tanaka," Suki said, trying to engage a pleasant conversation with the boy. "Who won your game?"

"The Samurai's beat us again," Tanaka mumbled. Suki smiled softly at the boy and nodded. "I remember watching my brother play Ninja and Samurai with some of the kids at school when I was young. His team got creamed every time, until they let me team up with them of course."

"Really," Tanaka said. "But the guys always tell me that girls can't play a game that requires so much strategy…"

"I'm not surprised," Suki muttered while sipping some Miso.

"You have a brother," Lady Hana asked.

"Yeah," Suki answered. "There's only the two of us. Dad say's thank God, because he doesn't know how many of us he could stand." I laughed as Suki smiled at her joke.

"Is your brother older than you or younger," Lord Kusanagi asked.

"Older, but only by a few minutes; people say if he had been a girl or if I had been a boy the two of us would be identical."

"I don't think your father would have liked it if your brother was a girl," I said while taking a small bite of fish. Suki laughed and nodded. In the letters she used to send me she would always say that her father thought that women were a 'drag' and the only ones he could ever love were her mother and her. It was kind of sweet that her parents cared so much for one another, even if her father always complained like her brother.

"Do you have any siblings Lord Kazekage," Tanaka whispered while looking down at his food. I nodded. "An older brother and an older sister," I answered. "Are you an only child?" Tanaka nodded slowly. "I wish I had a brother or sister," he mumbled. "I think it would be fun."

"Well," Suki said. "It can be."

"What do you mean," Tanaka asked.

"Shikamaru and I always fight with one another," she answered. "While we don't exactly fight as much anymore, we still have our moments."

"Seeing as you two are just as stubborn as one another I'm not surprised," I whispered. Suki nudged me slightly and smiled. "Hey," she said. "Don't call me stubborn. Shikamaru's worse than I am."

"I highly doubt that," I said while smiling back at her.

"Don't make me have to beat you up."

"Oooo, I'm scared now."

"I'll bet you are…" Suki grinned and gave me a small peck on the lips making me blush a bit. She sat back with a small smirk and continued to eat. "There is a child present," Lord Kusanagi said with a small smile as he looked at the two of us. "I'll have you both thrown in the dungeon if I see that again."

"Sounds kinky," Suki mumbled so that only I could hear. I blushed a beet red as Suki took a sip of sake. Just the thought of Suki in chains made me become aroused. _Damn it,_ I thought._ Why did she have to say that?_ Suki giggled and leaned against me while taking another sip of sake. "Suki," I whispered. "How much of that have you had?"

"Just a cup or two," she said. "Why?"

"No reason," I said with a shrug. Had I known she was this kind of drunk I wouldn't have let her have any at all. I hoped that she wouldn't have anymore, considering the fact that I didn't know what else she would do.

Actually, the fact that she had only had two small cups of alcohol and she was now that wasted was really surprising. You had to be prepared for anything as a ninja and getting an informant drunk to talk was a great way to get what you needed. A ninja had to be able to take large amounts of alcohol in case of those situations.

"I wouldn't mind it if Tanaka had a brother or sister," Lady Hana said, continuing our earlier conversation. "In fact, I'm not opposed to having a large family, but Tessi only wanted one…"

"Having more than one child is just a burden," Tessi mumbled and drank some more sake. If there was one thing about this man, he enjoyed his alcohol. In fact the first time I met him was when he accosted Suki and at that time he was drunk.

"I wouldn't mind having another nephew or niece Hana," Lord Kusanagi said. "I love Tanaka like he was my own son." Tanaka smiled as his uncle patted his head. Suki looked at the scene a bit teary eyed. Perhaps the alcohol had caused her to become overly sentimental?

"If you want the brat then take him," I saw Tessi mouth. Anger flooded through me and the grip on my chopsticks became greater. How could a father not love his own son? Well, I guess I shouldn't be asking that question, since my own parents never loved me…but I envied the children whose parents loved them. It was a relationship I had never had since my mother died when I was a baby and my father died when I was 15. He had rejected my existence till the day he died.

"I know this probably isn't the right time to actually say this," Lady Hana whispered. "But it seems you will be an Uncle again Lord Kusanagi…" Her husband looked at her dumbfounded while Suki, Tanaka, and I looked at her with wide eyes. Lord Kusanagi was shocked as well, but quickly recovered with a small smile. "Congratulations are in order then," he said.

"You mean it mom," Tanaka asked with a smile. "I'm going to be a big brother?" She nodded at her son and smiled. "Yes." I smiled at Lady Hana and Suki clapped her hands together. "I'm so happy for you," she said. "It's wonderful news!" _Yup,_ I thought. _The alcohol is really playing with her emotions…_

"It is, isn't it," Lady Hana whispered. "Don't you think so dear?" Her husbands face was red with anger as he smashed down his sake cup. "You whore," he shouted. "One wasn't enough for you, now you have to have another kid as well?" He slapped his wife across her face with enough force to knock her to the ground. She didn't scream, nor did she bat an eyelash. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly. "I didn't mean for it to happen Tessi…"

"Sorry isn't good enough, you're not having it!" He hit her again, causing Lord Kusanagi to rush over to aid her. "Stop this immediately," he yelled while Tanaka cried and clung to his mother. "You have no cause to hit your wife!"

"Stay out of this, this is a family matter!" Just as Tessi was about to hit his wife again, a kunai whizzed through the air and deeply embedded itself in the wall. It had just barely nicked Tessi's finger and I looked next to me to see an enraged Suki, hand extended outward.

"Never, ever touch that poor woman again," she muttered in a dangerous tone. "A person like you is lower than dirt if you get your kicks from beating someone who's not as strong as you. You're no man, you're scum." I gulped and looked into Suki's eyes; the soft kindness I could always find there was replaced by sheer hate and animosity towards Tessi. I had never seen her this angry at someone before, nor did I ever want to be someone on the receiving end of that wrath.

"Fucking bitch," Tessi barked. "Who are you to butt in?"

"You know something," Suki said angrily. "My father didn't want children. In fact, he called them a 'drag'. When my mother told him she was pregnant with twins, he just shrugged and said he didn't care, but you know something? He said that once we had been born he couldn't imagine his life without us and that Shikamaru and I were the second biggest blessing of his life; his first was our mother."

"Suki," I mouthed. I never knew this was how she felt about such things. Granted I never thought violence was necessary against those you loved and trusted, I didn't exactly know how to act right now. I was actually too shocked to do anything.

"So, you're just some guard dog for the Kazekage," Tessi said. "You're not really involved with him; you're just a ninja taking care of him."

"Wrong," Suki said as a wave of relieve flew over me; if anyone could think of a lie, she could. "Gaara is the Kazekage of the Sand, meaning he's in a very high position and honored by other ninjas. Due to his rank, how could he get away with marrying a woman with low abilities? The village wouldn't approve if he married someone of the chunin rank or lower. I happen to be a Jounin, which is one of the highest ranks there is for ninjas. If that's not enough proof for you…"

Suki grabbed me by the neck and pulled me into a forceful kiss. "Then that should be." I felt my face grow hot as she let go of me. Suki had never kissed me that way before and I had to say, it made me want to push her down to the ground and…jeez I had to stop thinking of scenarios like that.

"Tessi," Lord Kusanagi said coldly. "Not only have you insulted my guests, you have also hurt the one person that loves you most. Leave now, or I'll be forced to have you escorted out by my guards." Tessi stood angrily and stomped towards the door. He didn't even turn to look at his wife or sobbing child as he slammed the door behind him.

"I'm sorry," Lady Hana said while sitting upright and pulling her son into a tight hug. "It's my fault this happened. I thought that if I told him in front of you he wouldn't react the way he did."

"Bastard had no reason to act the way he did," Suki said while standing up.

"Be that as it may," Lord Kusanagi said as Suki pulled the kunai out of the wall with ease. "Don't you think it's a little harsh to throw a weapon at him? You could have killed him."

"If she had really wanted to she would have," I said while Suki sat next to me again. "Suki wasn't lying about being a Jounin."

"Nope," she said. "My brother may be better at coming up with strategies than I am, but when it comes to any sort of weapon I'm your girl. In fact my aim is better than most when it comes down to it."

"Well I'm glad about that," Lady Hana said with a smile. "I didn't know that women were employed as ninjas. I was always told by my father things like that are mans work."

"In this sort of line of work, there is little room for discrimination," I answered. Suki smiled and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Lady Hana," Lord Kusanagi asked slowly. "Something has been troubling me. You said that you told everyone here about your pregnancy in the hopes that Tessi wouldn't react the way he did. Does he hit you often?"

"Oh no," Lady Hana lied. "He doesn't that much. Tessi is a tender man and portrays his feelings differently than others."

"But Mommy," Tanaka said.

"Hush little one," she whispered. "We need to go home now…" She lifted her son, and as she did her kimono sleeve lifted just a bit to show a small bruise on her wrist. "What happened to your wrist," I asked casually.

"Oh, just a little accident," Lady Hana answered. "I'm quite careless at times and tend to trip a bit."

"You must trip a lot," Suki said as Lady Hana passed by. "Because you have a scab on your other hand as well; from the depth and shape of the cut I'd say it looks like it was caused by a knife."

"I didn't notice that…it must have been when I was chopping up vegetables for dinner a few nights ago."

"Really," Suki asked while standing up and lifting the sleeve opposite the bruise. "Then why do you have rope burn on this side of your arm?" Lady Hana silently let tears fall down her cheeks and her grip tightened on her son. "You wouldn't understand," she whispered.

"Hana," Lord Kusanagi said sternly. "Tell the truth."

"Tanaka," she whispered to her son. "Why don't you wait outside in the hall way? Don't go anywhere, just stay there."

"Wabisuke," Lord Kusanagi called while turning to one of his guards that stood outside the doorway.

"Yes my lord," he said while coming to attention.

"Watch my nephew for me," he said. "His mother and I have some matters to discuss." His guard nodded and waited for Lady Hana to put her son down. Once she did, he smiled at the young boy and led him outside to watch him.

"Suki and I will leave you two alone now," I said while getting up.

"I'd rather you stayed," Lady Hana whispered as Suki and I passed her on our way out. I didn't exactly understand why she would want us to stay, but I didn't want to reject her outright. I still didn't quite understand some social interactions, seeing as how I just started interacting socially with others only four years ago. "If you wish," I mumbled while taking my spot again.

"Why," Suki asked. "You hardly know us."

"I don't know exactly," Lady Hana whispered. "Lady Suki, I have no friends…just my son and my husband. After the kindness you have shown me tonight I feel I can trust you with my own life, and I feel safer around you. If Tessi came back…"

Lady Hana didn't finish. Instead she broke out in sobs and flung her arms around Suki. I was surprised that she had done so, and even more surprised that Suki smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around Lady Hana in a comforting manner. "It's funny," Suki said softly as Lady Hana let go of her. "A lot of people feel they can trust me. I guess it's because I don't betray people. Not a good quality for a ninja is it?"

I laughed as she sat next to me again. Lady Hana smiled softly at Suki's joke and then sat near Lord Kusanagi. "Hana please tell me what's been going on," he said slowly.

"Tessi doesn't usually get very angry unless he's drunk," Lady Hana whispered. "When he is, it's easy to anger him and he takes that anger out on me. Be it a beating or something else…"

"Something else," I mumbled, not wanting to interrupt her.

"He doesn't just beat you with his hands does he," Suki said while folding her arms. "He uses whatever he can find as a weapon doesn't he? That's not all he does is it? He takes anger out on you with sex too, am I right?" My eyes widened at the thought of someone doing that. It sounded so inhuman and horrible to me. No person could do something like that!

"Suki," I said. "No one could do that to someone! Especially if they love that person."

"I wish the world worked that way Gaara," Suki said now lifting her sake cup again. "Not everyone has as pure a mind as you. The problem is that Tessi doesn't love Hana the way you and I love each other. He believes women are objects that can be used at his disposal." I blushed at Suki's words as she swallowed the sake and poured herself another cup.

"It's true," Lady Hana sobbed. "He apologizes about everything and says that he loves me and that it'll never happen again but…"

"Hana why didn't you tell me this," Lord Kusanagi whispered while wrapping his arms around his sister in law.

"I didn't think you'd believe me," she choked. "How would you be able to believe me when he's your own flesh and blood?"

"Just because someone is your flesh and blood doesn't mean you can trust them," Suki murmured. "I know that for a fact." I looked over at Suki slightly worried as she took another belt of sake. Something was bothering her but I didn't really quite understand what it was. She seemed…angry at some sort of memory. How I could sense that was only because I knew her so well. She was remembering something from her past and it wasn't pretty. The blood lust in her eyes was telling me so.

"Hana…how could I have ever thought of you as a liar? You're anything but," Lord Kusanagi said softly. "I know our fathers engaged the two of you but I still have the power to annul the marriage if you want me to."

"Where would I go," Lady Hana mumbled. "I don't have any surviving family members. All I have are Tanaka and you…" Lord Kusanagi sighed and nodded, knowing that she had a point. She was also pregnant which meant she couldn't travel very far and she would want to get as far away from her husband as she could. I'd know I'd want to if I were in her position.

"You could find a new village to live in," I suggested. "Start a new life with your son and your unborn child."

"Where," she asked. "I don't know of any place that would be willing to accept me."

"Well," Suki said while looking at me. "Does your village take in refugees Gaara? I know that we have under certain circumstances but I also know they need to be kept under surveillance for about two years…maybe more."

"I think we have," I answered. "Although ours is usually a three to five year period and even then I don't know how the people would react to newcomers. You have to remember my village is smaller than yours Suki; we don't have that many resources." Suki nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I know," she whispered. "I just don't know how Lady Tsunade would react if I asked her to have us take in Lady Hana and her children."

"Are you serious," Lady Hana whispered. "I could start my life over?"

"Why would she need to be placed under surveillance for two years," Lord Kusanagi asked. "That seems a little harsh."

"When villages take in refugees or even new people, we have to make sure that they aren't an enemy of ours. They could be ninja spies sent to steal information or new weapons technology, they could also be sent there to kill someone, there are many different possible outcomes and there are some villages that can't afford to take those kinds of chances," I answered. "Even after the surveillance period, some people still won't trust her until they are absolutely certain they can trust her."

"Surely you couldn't think that a woman with children could do such things?"

"It's the perfect cover," Suki said slowly. "Who would suspect a woman with two children running away from a husband who beat her? Hell even some people that are there on business are watched by the Anbu."

"I don't think this is the best course of action," Lord Kusanagi said. "It's as if they'll be treating my sister in law as a common criminal!"

"It means that I can start a new life over," Lady Hana said while looking hopeful. "I can raise my children in peace…I want to do it. I'll be far away from Tessi and I'd even be protected for two years from him."

"I wouldn't really call it protection," I said. "Although the Leaf Ninja's are known for their sense of duty, it's not a hundred percent certain one would come to your aid if something happened to you."

"I don't care," Lady Hana said. "If it gets my children away from Tessi I'll do it." Lord Kusanagi sighed with a sad smile. "Once you put your mind to something you never let go do you," he whispered. "Alright; I'll draw up the paper for your annulment and see if I can't contact the Hidden Leaf Village's Hokage. Perhaps she will be able to do something."

"I'll even give you a letter to send her from me," Suki said. "Maybe that would help."

"Lady Suki," Lady Hana whispered with tears in her eyes. "You are such a kind person. The fact that you would go to such great lengths to help me is admirable…but I must ask why you're willing to help me?" Suki just shrugged and downed more sake. I had to say, the thought had crossed my mind. Why was she so willing and able to help Lady Hana?

"Lets just say that I understand this sort of situation," she whispered while lightly placing a finger onto her neck. I stared at her, wondering what she was keeping hidden from me. As far as I knew she had a happy home life and she never seemed to have any problems. I would suspect Neji, but I knew he would never lay a finger on her in that sense. He had loved her too much.

"Lord Gaara," Lord Kusanagi said with a small smile. "Don't ever let such a wonderful woman go." I felt myself smile as I looked back at Suki. She looked at me with a blush, although I couldn't really tell if it was a blush or the alcohol. "I don't plan on it," I whispered while taking Suki's hand. She smiled and gave me a small peck on the lips. I felt myself blush and look away from her.

"I'm going to have a room prepared for you and your son Hana," Lord Kusanagi said in a low voice. "I think perhaps it's time for Lady Suki to get some rest too…" I looked over at Suki and she practically fainted as I held her up. She closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder and I sighed. "Suki," I said. "How much did you have to drink?"

"Dunno," she giggled. "You're looking sexy Gaara…" I was hoping this was just an act as I lifted her up into my arms and carried her to our room. After placing her onto the bed, she pulled me on top of her and gave me a sloppy kiss. "What are you doing," I asked after she pulled away with a smile.

"Isn't it obvious," she said while bucking her hips against mine. "I want you." My eyes widened at the thought. "Wha," I gasped as she quickly maneuvered so that I was beneath her. Suki straddled my hips and leaned in to kiss my neck. "Are you really Suki," I moaned. There was no doubt in my mind that this was Suki, First off, she hadn't left my side after I had asked her a question that only she would know the answer too and secondly, only Suki could make me feel like this.

"Need me to prove it," she whispered in my ear before savagely biting the lobe. I let out a low hiss of pleasure as she sat up again and ripped off her kimono and bra in one swift motion, leaving her in only her panties. _I have got to be dreaming,_ I thought as she smirked at me. _This may be Suki, but it's not the Suki I know…_

"My name is Suki Nara," she whispered while parting my shirt. "I'm eighteen years old; I have an older twin brother named Shikamaru whom I've dubbed pineapple head ever since we were five, my best female friend from the Leaf Village is named Hinata Hyuga, my best male friend is named Choji Akimichi, my teammates are Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru, my sensei was Kuronai. If that isn't enough proof, the first time I met you I called you 'Mr. Sandman' because you wouldn't give me your name."

I groaned as she started to lick, suck, and nibble at my chest. This definitely was Suki, although I still had no idea what could do something like this to her. That was when it hit me; the alcohol! She had been drinking sake like a fish breaths in water. I had never seen Suki drunk before and if this was what it was like all the time then I hoped she didn't drink a lot. "Suki," I mumbled just before she nipped at my collarbone, causing me to moan a little. "Are you sure you really want this? This isn't some sort of vendetta you have against Neji is it?"

"Screw that Hyuga bastard," Suki said as she licked down to my stomach. "This isn't a vendetta Gaara. Even if it was I don't think this part of you minds…in fact it seems to want this." With that said she grabbed my erection and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. Hell yeah I wanted this to happen. I had wanted it to happen for a very long time. I had dreamed and imagined this countless times before hand and I'd wanted her to say she wanted me in that sense, to have her beneath me as I ravished her body.

Suki moved forward again and took my hand. After sucking on my index finger a few moments, she placed my hand on her chest where I could feel her heart beat, and then moved it ever so slowly to the rim of her underwear. I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched, fixated, as she slowly pushed my hand inside them. My brain was in overdrive trying to realize I was actually touching her _there_. I blushed for the umpteenth time that night. _Oh God_, I thought. _Oh God…Oh God! Had I known this was what would happen after she drank I would never have even let her have a sip of that sake!_

"Wha…Suki what are you hoping happens here," I managed to choke out. It felt as though my heart was going to burst from my chest and it almost stopped dead at what she said next.

"Fuck me Gaara," she groaned in my ear before letting her lips graze it. "I want you inside me…I want you to make me yours." It took every ounce of sheer willpower I had left to do what I did next. I'd wanted this yes, I'd pictured it in my head over and over and over again, but not like this…

"No," I shouted while ripping my hand back and flipping us so that I was pinning her on the bed. Suki looked at me with surprise and she was too shocked to do or say anything. "No matter how much I want to," I whispered without looking her in the eye. "No matter how much I have thought of this moment, I'm not going to let you do this to yourself Suki. If you were completely sober and in the right state of mind then maybe…but not like this. This isn't the way I pictured it…I'm sorry." I finally looked her in the eye again only to realize she had completely passed out. I sighed and sat up on my knees, then grabbed a clean shirt from my bag. After putting it on her, I placed the covers over her and watched her sleep. "I should probably rephrase part of what I said," I mumbled. "The only way I would make you my lover is when you're sober, in the right state of mind, and if you loved me back. The problem is that you never will, and you'll never know how much I love you."

Hoping Suki wouldn't remember a thing that had happened when we came back to the room; I climbed into the bed next to her and fell asleep.


	24. Chapter 24

Suki's POV

I woke up the next morning to the suns rays leaking into the room I shared with Gaara. Letting out a load groan, I rolled over away from the light. "Damn it," I muttered as my head pounded. "What time is it?" Gaara let out a small, sleepy moan before he rolled over towards me. He was still sleeping, and I felt myself smile a bit. It probably sounds stupid, but I liked watching him sleep…it was calming.

Gaara let out another groan and his hands started to search for something. I wondered what he was dreaming about until his hand found my shoulder and he calmed down a bit. His arm then went around my body and he pulled me against his hard chest. I blushed and my heart started to pound worse then my head as he held me close, his warm, moist breath playing with my hair. My body involuntarily snuggled closer to his and I sighed happily while closing my eyes.

"I love you Gaara," I murmured into his chest. "So much…" _Why couldn't this moment last forever,_ I thought. _Why couldn't I wake up like this every morning with Gaara? _This was what I'd wanted my whole life…I always thought that no one outside my parents and brother could ever make me feel this happy. Well, Neji had at one point but he hurt me. When I was little, I had been haunted by that stupid prophecy and it was starting to look like it was true. Although, around Gaara…he made it seem like there wasn't one. He made me feel like I was worth something…

He stirred a bit and then his grip on me became tighter before he opened his eyes. "Suki," he mumbled softly. I looked up into his sea green eyes and smiled softly. "Hey," I whispered. "Well, I guess I should say good morning." Gaara smiled back at me and nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said. "Good morning…how are you feeling?"

"Like someone is banging my brain up against a brick wall," I muttered while closing my eyes and placing my head against his chest. "Never let me drink that much again…" Gaara laughed and shook his head. "I never thought of you as a drinker," he said. I smiled and looked up into his eyes again. "I'm not really," I said with a blush. "My father has a few every now and then but other than that…I hope I didn't cause too much trouble for you."

"What do you remember from last night?"

"The last thing I remember is promising to give Lady Hana a letter of recommendation to Lady Tsunade so she could live in the Leaf Village. After all that, it's a huge blur…I don't even remember changing or even walking to the room. Hey, how did I get changed anyway?"

"Sorry," Gaara mumbled. "I kinda had to carry you back to the room since you had passed out."

"I did…?" I asked with a blush. "I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have done that. Especially since I'm the one that is supposed to take care of you…" I was such an idiot. Why did I have to drink so much? It wouldn't solve the problems I had had earlier at any given rate. What made even angrier at myself was the fact that Gaara was so forgiving because he was my friend. If I had been any other ninja I'm sure he would have reprimanded me by now. Hell even Shikamaru would have chewed me up and spit me out.

"It's fine Suki," Gaara said. "I hope you don't mind but I kinda had to dress you last night. Well, in one of my shirts…" I blushed at the thought of Gaara seeing me with nothing on; well then again, he had already seen me without anything on since we wanted to fool the Kusanagi's into thinking we were in a relationship. "It's okay Gaara," I mumbled. "It's not like you've never seen me that way before…" I could swear Gaara was blushing when I said that, although I had to admit I was blushing too.

"We should probably get ready for the day," he whispered while taking his arms away quickly. I watched him stand and I sighed slowly. There was nothing that I enjoyed more than being in Gaara's arms and I had wanted to be in them longer, but we did have things to do today. Just the thought made me want to slam my face into my pillow and scream…

It took Gaara and I about an hour to get ready, although I was kinda happy to be back in my usual ninja attire. It was much more comfortable than that stuffy kimono. I couldn't understand why Lord's would want to wear this stuff day in and day out.

"Suki," Gaara said once I grabbed my small bag. "Are you ready?"

"Yup," I said. "How about you?" Gaara nodded and grabbed his gourd. I'd seen him use it all the time but I never asked him about it. Sure, I knew it was for his jutsu's but I still had no idea how much it weighed, "How heavy is that thing?"

"About a hundred pounds, give or take a few," Gaara answered with a shrug. I looked at him with wide eyes. "And you've been carrying that thing around how long," I asked in a loud voice. Gaara shrugged once more and looked at me with his stoic look. "Since I was about eight," he answered. "Why?"

"Isn't that child abuse," I shouted while waving my arms around. Gaara's stoic face turned to one of confusion. "Why would it be," he asked.

"Well carrying around about a hundred pounds of sand in a gourd since you were eight is kinda mean…"

"So it would be better for me to die somewhere without my gourd if I could have saved myself with sand?"

"I didn't think of it that way but it just seems cruel…"

"Let me put it this way, if you could carry around your shadows when there wasn't any, wouldn't you like to?" I nodded slowly. He was right about that; if I could I'd make sure to have a shadow nearby at all times. "Okay, you got me there," I said with a smile. Gaara smiled back and then looked away. "We should get going if we want to make it to the Land of Tea before nightfall," he whispered. "Especially if we're going to go with that shipment you said they were planning on sending." I nodded and followed him out of our room.

"Lord Gaara," a voice called when we walked down the front hallway. "I wish you well on your journey." Gaara and I turned to face Lord Kusanagi as he walked towards us. "You didn't have to see us off like this my lord," Gaara said softly with a bow. I followed Gaara's example as Lord Kusanagi stood in front of us. "Nonsense," he said with a smile. "I always see my guests off with a smile and a word of good fortune."

"That is very kind of you Lord Kusanagi," Gaara mumbled as Kei looked over at me. His smile widened and I felt myself blush a bit. I hoped nothing bad happened last night…well nothing bad that I didn't remember. "Are you feeling any better today Lady Suki," he asked.

_Great,_ I thought. _And hear I was hoping to try and save a little face; guess that's not going to happen anytime soon…_

"I'm fine now Lord Kusanagi thank you for asking," I said.

"That's good," he said with concern. "I'd hate to have you become sick on your journey or something like that."

"Thank you, but I'm sure I'll be fine." I blushed at the thought of Kei seeing me like that. It was embarrassing even though I felt I needed it at the time…the bruises Lady Hana had brought back memories of my extended family; memories of cousins, aunts, and uncles all beating on me because I could use the shadow jutsu. That stupid prophecy had spoken of a savior, yet I was seen as a threat.

The sight of Lady Hana in pain and tears just hit to close to home for me and I didn't handle it well. I drank away the pain I was feeling in order to forget something that I would never be able to stop thinking about. No one should have to go through what I've been through; I wouldn't even wish it on my greatest enemy.

"Suki," Gaara said while pulling me from my trance. "Are you alright?" I nodded and looked over at him. His face flashed a bit of concern in my direction and I smiled at him. "Don't worry Gaara," I whispered with a small smile. "I'm fine." Gaara gave a slight nod and looked back at Kei. "I would like to thank you for the hospitality you have shown my fiancé and I," Gaara said with a bow. "Please give my regards to your family."

"There's no need for such formalities Lord Kazekage," Kei said with a smile. "It was nothing, I assure you. You and your beautiful fiancé are welcome here anytime; we Kusanagi's are known for our generosity." With that said he took my left hand and kissed it while looking me in the eyes. I felt myself blush and I could tell he was amused. "I hope to see you again soon Lady Suki, Lord Kazekage," Kei whispered before bowing slightly and then leaving us.

Looking over at Gaara, I saw his fists clench and he let out an aggravated growl that was so low I barely heard it. I caught his eye and looked at him questioningly, only to have him shrug and look away from me. "So," I whispered as we walked out of the building. "What are we going to do about those people traveling to the Land of Tea?"

"We'll be traveling with them saying we're moving to the Land of Tea. It's not uncommon for them to have travelers along the way," Gaara said slowly. "I hope you don't mind keeping up the ruse that we're engaged." I smiled even though on the inside I was dying of embarrassment. "No problem," I whispered back with a smile. "It's not so bad being the fiancé of the Kazekage." Gaara smiled slightly and shook his head. "Don't let it get to you," he mumbled. "Not many people enjoy having the most powerful ninja from Suna around."

"Yeah well if they mess with you they'll have a Jonin on there ass." Gaara smiled at me again and guided me to where the wagons filled with trade were located. Gaara gave me a slight nod and I scouted the area slowly.

There were four wagons in all, two drivers in each wagon, about twenty soldiers guarding them, and about two families moving to the Land of Tea. One was an older couple, in there sixties; the other was a husband and wife with two children, a six year old boy and a two year old girl. I doubted the families would be any trouble. As an experienced ninja I could sense others of my kind fairly well. Trouble was, soldiers didn't like it when there was an undercover ninja around. They didn't take kindly to others doing their work.

"Papers please," said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see a soldier holding out his hand to me, expecting me to hand him a passport or something. "I'm sorry," I said.

"Your Passport," the soldier said. "There have been a lot of bandits attacking these caravans lately and we need to know if you have the okay from his lordship to go." I felt so stupid at that moment. Gaara and I should have known these people would be updating security like this. "Um," I mumbled. "I don't know if I have it on me…" The soldier smirked slightly and pushed me up against one of the wagons, pinning me with his body. "Well that's too bad," he whispered. "If you don't have papers, then I'm afraid we won't be able to take you with us…unless you pay me for protection."

"What sort of payment are you expecting," I spat. The man smiled devilishly and let out a snort. "It gets cold at night for a soldier such as myself," he said. "It's pleasant to have something to warm up with." I made to slap the man in the face, only for him to grab my arm and place it above my head. I knew I could easily defeat this man, but I couldn't give up the fact I was a ninja, nor could I put Gaara in jeopardy, so I did the next best thing. I struggled and opened my mouth to scream only to have the soldier cover it with his other hand.

Now I was seriously pissed…I hated not being able to defend myself like this. It would be so easy to maneuver out of this death grip he had on me by kicking his ass but I kept telling myself I couldn't do that. The only thing I could think of wouldn't work unless…yes! I finally realized that he had one leg in between mine and it would be easy for me to knee him in the balls. I felt myself smirk beneath his hand when I prepared myself to bolt away from him once I kicked him.

Just as I was about to execute my plan, an arm wrapped around the mans neck and tugged him away from me slightly. "I'd leave another man's wife alone if I were you," a familiar voice said. "You never know how jealous the husband can be…" The soldier let out a small grunt and nodded slowly. Once he let me go and scurried away, I was able to look at my savior.

"Shino," I mouthed, happy to see him here. "Glad you got here in time."

"So am I," he muttered. "What on earth were you doing with that man?"

"He wanted some papers which I don't know if we have any," I mumbled. "Gaara might but I'm not so sure."

"Good thing I came along then," Shino said. "I just so happen to have papers for two couples traveling to the Land of Tea. Both are for a husband and wife. Which one do you prefer?" Shino handed me the papers and I looked over them. I had to admit, they looked pretty legitimate, but knowing Shino they were just another couple hours spent on a computer. "You even have letters of reference from family and friends," I said with a smirk. "Some of your best work ever."

"Compliments will get you anywhere," he said. If he didn't wear those glasses and a scarf around his mouth, I could swear he was smiling at me. "I think we'll take these," I whispered. "Gaara could pass as a Shinji…that would make my name Ume."

"I guess Hinata and I will take Kaname and Jun," Shino said quietly. He took one set of papers from me and walked away. I then went back to Gaara and handed him the papers for Shinji and Ume. "Where did you get this," he asked with wide eyes.

"Let's just say it pays to know Leaf Village ninja," I said with a smile. Gaara gave a small snort of laughter and tucked the papers in his pocket. "We should probably show these to the captain so he knows we'll be traveling with this caravan. Coming with me Ume," he asked. I smiled and shook my head. "Of course, Shinji," I said.

"I don't think I'll be able to get used to you calling me by another name," Gaara whispered in my ear.

"Same here," I said as he took my hand. I felt myself blush a bit and looked down at my feet. I couldn't look Gaara in the eye during moments like this. I guess it was because I thought he could read me as easily as he read a book. It made me fear that he would find out that I was in love with him. He couldn't know now…I realized how I felt too late. Taking a deep breath I looked up into Gaara's eyes, hoping he wouldn't see the love hidden deep inside.

"That's her captain," cried a soldier. "She's the wife of the man that attacked me!" My eyes widened as I turned to see the soldier that hit on me moments ago standing there with a tall, well built man wearing polished armor. "Is that the man," he asked in a deep voice. "The one that attacked you out of malice?"

"No sir," the soldier said. "I don't know who this is…"

"I need to see your papers please," the captain said while extending his hand towards Gaara and I. I could feel my heart beat faster since this soldier assumed Shino was my husband. I had to think fast on this one…

Gaara handed the captain the papers I had given to him moments before. "Your name sir," the captain said. Gaara looked at him with a frown. "Shinji, Shinji Kuron; my wife's name is Ume."

"This is your wife," the captain asked.

"No," I said while Gaara looked at me with slightly wide eyes. "I'm his sister-in-law. My husbands name is Kaname Mora, mine is Jun."

"I think she's lying Captain Okota," shouted the soldier. "The way she was looking at this man earlier…I think she's some sort of spy or something!"

"Quiet Fujikaku," the captain shouted. "These papers are legal and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a logical explanation to all this instead of your fanatical ones!"

"You see sir," I said slowly. "I went looking for my sister and her husband since we were supposed to meet this morning and it turns out that she went looking for me as well. I'm sure she's around here somewhere; most likely with my husband Kaname."

At that moment, I saw Hinata walk around the corner with Shino next to her, the two talking animatedly. "Sweetheart," I said while walking over to Shino. "You found Ume didn't you?" Shino looked at me with a blush as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. Without missing a beat, Shino wrapped his arms around my waist and held me tightly. "I wondered where you'd gotten too my love," he said. I felt myself stiffen and hold back a laugh. Oh this must be killing the real Shino…no way in his right mind would he call a person that! Not even one he was in love with!

Hinata looked confused as ever when Shino and I pulled away from our embrace. "W-wha-what," Hinata asked, trying to make sense of it all. "What w-were you d-doing over th-there? W-we said we would meet here Jun."

"I'm sorry Ume," I said with a smile. "I must have gotten everything mixed up again…"

"I'll need to see your papers Mr. Mora; they're just a precaution you understand." Shino nodded and handed the captain his papers. Hinata looked at me with confusion and astonishment on her face as Gaara sensitively wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"I will have to ask Mr. Mora, my lieutenant says that you attacked him without reason," Captain Okota said. "May I have your side of the story?"

"He assaulted my wife," Shino answered venomously.

"In what way?"

"The man had her pushed up against a wagon and was touching her!"

"Is that true Mrs. Mora?"

"He said that if I kept his bed warm during the night he would over look the fact I was traveling without papers; but as you can see, I do have the proper paperwork." Gaara's grip on Hinata tightened and his fist clenched tautly. I could even see small particles of sand swirling around it slowly and I began to wonder what Gaara would have done to Lieutenant Fujikaku if he had caught him instead of Shino. Knowing Gaara, he would have torn this Fujikaku a new one…

"I see," Captain Okota said angrily. "I trust you will believe me when I say that I will punish Fujikaku severely for his behavior Mr. Mora?"

"I only wish I could be there to see it," Shino said angrily. "But I will believe you will punish him; just be happy he's still standing. I love my wife, and I would do anything to protect her."

"I understand completely Mr. Mora," Captain Okota answered. "Here are your papers, and before I see to the others I should tell you that this trip will take about three days. We stop once night falls and start again once daylight hits with only one break for lunch at noon. Families are instructed to stay together and close to the caravan in case of wild animals or bandits. We don't mind men volunteering for sentry duties at night and appreciate the help. Other than that, there shouldn't be any more issues." Gaara and Shino both nodded to Okota before he turned and left with his Lieutenant.

Once they were well out of hearing range, I breathed a heavy sigh. "Sorry about all this," I muttered to Shino and Hinata. "I know it was supposed to go differently but…"

"It's not your fault Suki," Shino whispered. "I probably shouldn't have implied that you were my wife when he had you pinned up against that wagon. I didn't think he was a soldier actually; even so I could have just said you were my sister and…"

"He pinned you against a wagon," Gaara asked angrily. "What else did that bastard do to you?"

"Nothing really," I said with a blush. I had never seen Gaara so angry before and he seemed so concerned about me…it kinda made me feel happy. "So when he tried to blackmail you into sleeping with him at night it was 'nothing'," Shino asked with a smirk. Gaara gritted his teeth and clenched his fists again. Turning around sharply, he started to walk down the path that Okota and Fujikaku took. "Gaara," I said in a low voice while catching up to him. "Where are you going?"

"Where does it look like," he said, his voice filled with anger. "I'm going to kill the guy for doing such a thing to you."

"Gaara I'm fine," I said with a smile. "You don't need to do something so rash and impulsive. It's not like I got hurt or anything …besides, you know I could have taken him on by myself without any problems."

"I know," Gaara said while slowing to a stop. "I just…I just don't like the idea of some pervert putting his hands on you." My smile deepened and I hugged Gaara. He seemed surprised at first, but hugged me back after a bit. I found myself breathing in his scent and feeling so safe from everything. Only Gaara was able to make me feel like this…no, not even Neji made me feel like this.

"Thanks," I mumbled after letting him go. "You really are a great friend Gaara." Gaara blushed a little and looked away. "I guess," he murmured. "I don't see how acting this way makes me a good friend…I just care about you too much to have someone hurt you. I don't like it when you get hurt Suki."

"Then you really are a true friend," I said. "We should probably get back to Shino and Hinata."

"I've never personally worked with Hinata," Gaara whispered. "Is she helpful?" I nodded. "She is," I said. "I'm not just saying that because she's my best friend, but because she is kind and generous. She always puts others before her. She's also pretty quiet like you."

"I'm quiet," Gaara asked while cocking his head to the side. I smiled at him and nodded a little. "Not in a bad way," I answered. "You're always listening to what I have to say and whenever both of us are silent, it's not uncomfortable."

"It is true that I don't really speak unless I believe what I have to say is justifiable," Gaara said. "I hope that's not a bad quality."

"Not at all," I said. "A lot of girls go for the strong silent type." Gaara blushed as we reached Hinata and Shino.

"Well hubby," I said to Shino. "Are you ready to walk hand in hand all the way to the Land of Tea?" Hinata giggled while I laughed at the red color Shino's face became. "Must you make fun of this delicate situation Suki," he mumbled as I wrapped my arm around his.

"Just be thankful I'm not Kiba," I said with a laugh. "He'd make this situation much worse."

"True enough," Shino said with a small sigh. "Just don't tell him about this okay?"

"Why," I asked. "Did he bet you that you couldn't pretend to be my husband?"

"N-not exactly," Hinata murmured. "M-more like h-he didn't have the guts…" Shino blushed even more and tried to hide his face behind his collar. "Shino, are you still shy around girls," I asked with a smirk. He nodded slightly and didn't even want to look at me. "It's kinda cute," I whispered into his ear. Shino's face grew even redder and I could swear I saw steam come out of his ears. "It looks like we'll be leaving soon," he mumbled. "We should get going, Jun…"

"Yes my dear sweet Kaname," I said while following him like an obedient wife would. Shino looked back at me with a blush and shook his head. I knew when the time called for it, he could put on a great act and fool anyone with his serious face, but when we were around people who knew the real him he became embarrassed easily.

"We should probably be on guard even now," Shino whispered to me as we stood together near a wagon. "If the Lord here is having these goods robbed, it's more than likely that one of the guards knows about it and is being paid."

"I don't think the Lord of this land is behind all of this," I whispered back. "He doesn't seem like the type to do it, and his brother seems to want to destroy him any way he can…"

"How do you know that," Shino asked. "The first thing we learned in school is to trust no one but your allies, and even then we have to still be careful."

"Kei doesn't want a war," I whispered in a harsh tone. "His brother, Tessi, seems like the kind to start one."

"Since when are you and this feudal lord on a first name basis," Shino muttered darkly. I blushed and looked at my feet. Stupid move on my part; it's not that I had a personal relationship with the guy or anything, it was just that he seemed like a kind and caring man. He had proved that with his sister-in-law and when he came to me about Tessi. Actually those could have been staged, but I doubted it. Trusting a person out of instinct is extremely dangerous as a ninja, but going on your instincts usually worked.

"He said I could call him Kei," I mumbled. "He tried to become chummy with me because he said I reminded him of his dead wife."

"I don't know Suki," Shino said. "Maybe he is the good guy in all of this, but at the same time maybe he's not. I did a little digging on the two of them."

"What did you find out," I asked.

"Well the two are blood brothers, but the two are exactly the opposite of one another," Shino answered. "On his death bed, their father named Kei the next lord even though Tessi was his senior by eight years. This would give Tessi cause to exploit his brother. The problem is that there is also bad blood between Lord Kusanagi and the Lord of the Land of Rivers. Lord Hanzo Hattori, that's the lord's name, stole Lord Kusanagi's first bride elect. This would give Kusanagi cause to do harm to Lord Hattori."

"Boy Shino," I said with a smile. "When you go digging for the dirt, you really dig; don't you?" He smirked back and nodded. "It's what I do best," he said. "By the way, I should tell you that Kuruni, Naruto, and Kiba are waiting at the bridge in case of another attack."

"How is Naruto taking the fact that Hinata has to play someone else's wife," I asked, my smile growing.

"Oh you know Naruto," Shino said. "He's taking it the best way possible."

"Threw a fit huh?"

"Nah, you know Naruto. Almost threw a chair out the window and threatened to kill me if I made a move on Hinata, but other than that he took it like a real sport."

"Tried to talk Kuruni into letting him go instead of you right?"

"More like begging her and then yelling at her, but if you want to call that talking then yeah, that's exactly what he did."

"Oh I wish I had been there," I said with a laugh.

"Kiba had to hold him down while Shikamaru said Naruto should be thankful it was me that was going instead of Kiba because if anyone would make a move on Hinata it would be him," Shino answered.

"I bet Kiba didn't take that well," I said.

"He took it just as well as Naruto took the news of Hinata portraying my wife," Shino said. "I wonder how Naruto would feel if he knew Hinata was paired with Gaara now."

"Gaara wouldn't even make a move on Hinata if she was the last woman on Earth," I said. "He's not the type to do anything; he's really innocent."

"So what I saw on the computer screen yesterday was what, a game of twister?"

I blushed madly and wanted to smack Shino for saying that, but at the same time, I knew it wouldn't be the best way to go about things. He knew just as well as I did that Gaara and I only did what we did because we had thought it was the Kusanagi's watching us. It would be better to play this one out in a different matter…

"Aw," I said while wrapping my arms around Shino's neck. "Jealous of him are we baby? Next time I'll make sure to include you too." Shino's face turned redder than an apple and he looked like he was going to pass out. I smirked at the fact that I was making him so uncomfortable; this was my way of payback and he knew it.

"Maybe we should practice our kissing as well," I said while kissing the scarf where his lips would have been. That had done it; Shino passed out cold onto the ground for a few seconds before quickly standing up again. "Don't do that," he whispered harshly.

"Then don't make insinuations about Gaara," I said while folding my arms. Shino sighed slowly and looked away. "What's going on between you two anyway," he asked. I felt myself blush and look at the ground. "Nothing," I mumbled. "I'm just helping him out with missions that's all."

"I don't understand why he'd need your help though," Shino said. "I mean, he has a lot of other people to help him with this sort of stuff." I nodded slowly as the caravan started to move. It was true; why hadn't he asked someone else to go on missions with him? He didn't need me…not now anyway.

When he first asked me to help it was because I was able to help him suppress the Shukaku, but since the Akatsuki basically ripped that demon from his body then he didn't need me to help suppress it anymore. Gaara was free of the Shukaku as far as I knew and would never have to deal with him again. So why did he have me helping him on missions?

"Suki," Shino mumbled as I walked next to him. "Is there something you should tell me?"

"Not that I know of," I murmured back.

"Do you mind if I ask how you feel about Gaara," Shino asked. I looked over to see Gaara and Hinata walking together. The two of them were talking when she suddenly tripped. Gaara caught her easily and as Hinata steadied herself, she smiled up at him. He tentatively smiled back and the two continued walking.

"I love him," I whispered while swallowing the small lump in my throat. Shino looked at me through his dark sunglasses and nodded slightly. "For how long," he asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know."

"Does he?"

"No," I said while looking at Shino seriously. "He doesn't."

"Maybe you should tell him."

"Where would that get me," I almost shouted. "He doesn't feel that way about me and even if I did tell him, he'd tell me that he thinks of me as a sister or something. I can't hear him say that Shino; if he did then I'd break into a million pieces."

"You don't know that for sure," Shino said sternly. "He seems to really care for you Suki. How do you know he doesn't feel the same way? For all you know he's so in love with you and just too afraid to tell you. Maybe he just doesn't know how to express himself."

"Gaara could never be in love with me," I said with a small hurt smile.

"How do you know?"

"Because he's in love with Matsuri."

Gaara's POV

It had been a few hours since the caravan had started and I felt a little uneasy. It wasn't that I didn't trust Hinata or anything; in fact she had turned out to be exactly like Suki had said. She was on the quiet side, but very kind when she spoke. It was just that I had an uneasy feeling about the captain and the rest of his soldiers. They didn't exactly look or act like soldiers, most of them looked like some thief you might meet in the middle of a dark alleyway at night.

Hinata looked over at me and then back at the ground. "What is it," I asked in a quiet voice.

"I-it's nothing," she whispered in her timid voice. "Y-you just seem tense for some reason." I nodded slowly. "I'm not so sure about these guards is all," I murmured.

"Mmm," Hinata mumbled. "I understand. I feel as though we're surrounded by pirates being carted off to a prison or something." I nodded again and looked from one soldier to the next. Hinata had a point about that, and I began to wonder if there was anything hidden in the wagons. "I wish I could use my third eye technique," I muttered in a low voice. "Then I'd know for sure…"

"I've already checked the wagons and everything if that's what you mean," Hinata mumbled in a low voice. "There's nothing but things nations might trade with one another."

"How could you do that," I asked. "You said earlier that you arrived after Suki and I had." Hinata looked up at me with a small smile and nodded. "Yes, but I'm a Hyuga," she whispered. "I have my byakugan. Suki calls it x-ray vision. I can see through anything and even see a persons chakra points."

I felt a little uncomfortable when she said that. I mean, if this girl could see everything like she said then what had she seen of me? Unintentionally I took a small side step farther from her and watched her wearily. Hinata noticed this and giggled. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, the answer is no," she whispered as her giggling subsided. "I don't see flesh, nor would I look if I had the power to. I'm not a pervert; also my byakugan isn't on right now either." I felt myself sigh in relief and blushed a bit.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. Hinata smiled at me and shook her head. "It's fine," she said. "A lot of people think that. Even…" She paused and her smile fell a little. "Naruto," I finished for her. She nodded. "Are you angry with him about something?"

"No," she whispered. "I just miss him right now. Sometimes it's hard to be away from the one you care so much about…"

"It's hard being near them sometimes too," I found myself whispering as I looked over at Suki. She was smiling and chattering animatedly with Shino; well it was more like she was talking and he was listening. The guy didn't seem to be the talkative type. "Gaara," Hinata whispered.

I looked over at Hinata and she looked up at me with a serious expression. "I-I need to know…" She paused and looked away from me and towards Suki. "I-I know we don't know each other very well but…"

"Hmm," I mumbled when she took another long pause.

"I-I-I wouldn't be asking this unless it was important and I need to know because Suki's like a sister to me." She paused again and looked back at me. I didn't push her since I knew she would eventually say what she wanted to; I just looked back at her with a usual stoic expression. Hinata took a deep breath and held it until she was red in the face. Before I could ask her if she was alright she finally blurted out what she wanted to say in such a rush I didn't hear her. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't quite catch that…"

"I said do you care about Suki," she whispered with a blush. I nodded a little confused. "Of course I do," I said. "She's been my friend for a long time and…"

"No," Hinata said while shaking her head. "That's not what I meant. I'm asking if you're in love with her." My eyes widened and I felt my face grow pale. Suki told me her friend was shy, but this girl was bold as brass. There was no way I could answer her either. If I said I did she'd probably go running towards Suki and tell her how I really felt. Suki would either tell me she didn't feel that way or she would start laughing with Hinata like my feelings were some big joke…

"Well…I…I don't know," I whispered. _Yeah right,_ I thought. _There's no way you're not in love with her you idiot. You've been in love with her since you first saw her standing there in the moonlight; you just didn't know it yet. You've dreamt about being with her ever since you got locked in that stupid closet with her and you've even imagined what it would be like to sleep with her since you were sixteen! Face it; she's the only one you want._

"I only ask because I care about Suki," Hinata murmured. "She's been my best friend since we were three. If you're worried about my telling her, I can promise you I won't." I nodded slowly and thought back to the conversation I had had with Naruto. _Just tell Suki how you feel; she's a good person._ I felt a bit of anger flow through my body. Had Naruto spoken to her about how I felt? Were the two making fun of me or was she truly curious?

"Did Naruto put you up to this," I asked angrily. Hinata looked at me with wide eyes and shook her head. "N-no, not at all," she said in a hurt tone. "I-I had n-no idea N-Naruto talked to y-you…I-I'm sorry…" Hinata looked like she was about to cry. Guilt twisted my stomach into knots when I realized she was telling the truth. I looked down at the ground again and sighed. "I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that. It's just…I don't know."

"What did he say," Hinata whispered. I felt myself blush and shook my head. "We just talked about how I felt about Suki," I muttered darkly. "Why does it matter? Why can't people just leave me alone?"

"Does that mean you really do love her," Hinata asked in a low voice.

"Does it matter," I said glaring at her once more. Instead of becoming meek and frail again, Hinata glared right back and bunched her hands into tight fists. "I need to know," she said. "Suki is my best friend and I need to know if you really care for her or if you just want to screw her and leave her."

"I'm not like your cousin," I spat, finding myself walking faster. "If by some miracle I was able to be with Suki, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Suki means more to me than life itself and I would rather die than be the one that makes her cry. Though it seems to me you're asking this because you want your cousin and her to get back together."

"I never said I was okay with what Neji did," Hinata said while matching my pace. "In fact, I wanted to kill him myself after he told me what he did. I told him that Suki had every right to leave him; Neji even started to beg me to help him get back together with her."

"I bet you told him that you'd be glad to," I muttered angrily. Hinata's glare became more intense. "I didn't. I don't like meddling in someone's private affairs," she said. "It's just that Suki's been hurt enough in her life and I don't want her to fall in love with someone that only has shallow feelings for her."

"You could never imagine how much I love her," I spat. "I want to see her happy, even if it's not with me…I've come to terms with that and I don't need someone to keep reminding me every day!" Hinata's eyes softened as I stopped and took a deep breath. I hadn't meant to yell at her like this, in fact I wanted to become friends with her since she was so close with Suki but it seems like I blew it. "Y-you really love her," Hinata whispered softly. "I'm sorry G-Gaara…I shouldn't have bothered you so much but I think you should tell her."

"Why," I muttered. "So she can tell me that she still loves your cousin and wants to be with him again?"

"I know it's hard telling the one you love how you feel," she mumbled. "But…she has a right to know how you feel about her. It may not be as bad as you think."

"How would you know," I asked.

"Well," she answered. "I think it's something Suki should tell you how she feels."

"Are you saying that she might love me back," I murmured as my heart pounded and my hopes rose.

"It's not my place to tell you," Hinata whispered. "It's Suki's." I looked back at Suki, seeing her laugh and place her arm in Shino's. Although I knew it was all an act, I still couldn't help but feel that twinge of jealousy. Shino may be her friend, but I still wasn't too happy about her pretending to be his wife.

"You know," Hinata whispered. "I think Naruto would be glad to know that you're playing my husband now instead of Shino."

"Why," I asked in a low voice. "Is Shino dangerous?"

"Not at all," Hinata said with a small laugh. "Shino's a complete gentleman but Naruto doesn't know him that well even though we all live in the same village. He trusts you a lot and I know Suki does as well."

"What makes you say that," I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. Hinata smiled and shook her head. "I know Naruto does because he has a sort of sixth sense when it comes to making friends and he knows who to trust. Suki on the other hand…"

I waited patiently for Hinata to continue. She looked towards Suki and Shino, making sure the two couldn't hear her. "Suki's trust may look easy to earn, but it's not," she whispered. "The reason she trusts me so much is because I've known her since I was three, Choji she trusts because he's been her and her brother's best friend since they were kids, and she of course trusts her brother because she's known him all her life. Kiba and Shino she was sort of forced to trust since we became teammates, while Naruto just rubbed off on her." Hinata laughed a little at that statement and I couldn't help but smile a little and nod. Naruto had that way about him…he could make anyone trust him.

"I don't know her reason for trusting you," she said slowly. "Not that I'm saying she shouldn't. I just think the two of you just clicked when you met each other…to this day she holds you in the highest regard."

"What makes you say that," I asked again.

"Don't tell her I told you this, but she still has every single letter you ever wrote to her. She keeps them in a large keepsake box which she stores behind a fake panel that's behind a shelf of her bookcase. Sometimes she takes them out and rereads them."

"How do you know that?"

"I remember coming over for a visit and finding her in her room, curled up with all the letters you had sent her. She fell asleep while reading them," Hinata said with a giggle. "There must have been thousands of pieces of paper covering her floor. When I woke her up I asked her why she was rereading them and she said because it made her feel closer to you. She doesn't like the fact that you live so far away from each other…which just goes to show that absence really does make the heart grow fonder."

I felt myself blush a bit at Hinata's words, although I felt a stirring feeling in my chest. The fact that Suki had kept every single one of my letters was kinda embarrassing. Although, I had kept every one of hers as well in a hidden compartment in my desk; whenever I felt lonely, I would pull one out and read it just to feel closer to her. The fact that she did the same thing made me feel happy, albeit even more embarrassed.

"Alright," the captain of the guard shouted. "It's time to stop for lunch. I would like to ask the men and soldiers to form a circle around the wagon, with the women and children in the center. The men will help my soldiers keep an eye out for bandits and wild animals while the women will cook the meal." I sighed as Hinata walked towards Suki and Shino walked towards me.

"How's it going," he asked in a low voice.

"I'm not sure," I mumbled. "I don't like the looks of the guards."

"I'm not to keen on them either," Shino whispered. "Although I have placed my kikai in the wagons and around the terrain; if anything happens they will warn me and I'll have one land on your right hand to let you know if there's something wrong."

"Good," I said. "What about Suki and Hinata?"

"I've worked with those two since I was twelve," Shino said. "They know my signals and Hinata promised to use her byakugan whenever we stopped. Suki said that if she saw any of the soldiers writing, she would connect their shadows and copy what they've written."

"Never knew she could do that," I whispered.

"She's full of surprises," Shino said, a smirk behind his scarf. "I wanted to ask you which one of the lords you think is really setting this up."

"I don't know," I muttered. "Both of them rub me the wrong way. Especially Kei Kusanagi…"

"Suki's practically convinced it's his brother Tessi, but I'm not so sure to be honest. Both have good motives to ruin the relationships their land has with others."

"Hmm," I said. "I don't want to place judgment too soon. I'd rather speak with the Lord of the Land of Tea to get his opinion first."

"That seems like a good idea. I have only heard of Hanzo Hattori…his reputation precedes him."

"I have only met with him once; he came to the village just after my inauguration. He was a kind man…I don't believe he would have anything to do with this."

"I did some research," Shino said in a low voice. "I couldn't find any sort of reason for him to do something like that as well." I nodded, although I couldn't see the man doing something like this, but it was something I couldn't take away from the equation. It didn't matter how nice a person was, they could still do horrible things.

"We should start keeping an eye out," I muttered. "We're in an open meadow, but there is a forest surrounding the area on three sides. Rouge ninja could be lurking anywhere."

"Is the sand in this area too moist for you," Shino asked. "It's not exactly mud, but I can feel it's going to rain badly this evening."

"I should be fine," I answered, testing the sand in the dirt. "As long as nothing happens during the storm..." Shino nodded slightly and the two of us took our positions watching the camp.


	25. Chapter 25

Suki's POV

"Momma," the little boy said. "Can't I go with dad?" The woman smiled down at her son and shook her head. "No Kenshin," she said. "You must stay here with me and your sister."

"Awww, but she's still taking a nap," the boy complained. "I can't play with her…"

"I know," his mother said. "Why don't you gather some sticks for the fire? Don't go to far away, and be sure I can see you at all times!"

"Okay," the boy shouted while running off with a smile. Hinata smiled and the old lady chuckled. "Ah to be young again," she mused. "He reminds me of my grandson Sho. Now that boy gets into a heap of trouble." I watched as she slowly sat on a large rock. "He has plenty of energy," I said watching him pick up a stick and pretending it was a sword.

"Oh my," his mother said. "Does he ever! I think it would be good for the boy to be in the wide open spaces of the Land of Tea. My husband wants to buy a plantation there and we finally scraped up enough money to do it. Where are the rest of you headed?"

"My husband and I are visiting our children and grandchildren. It's been so long since we saw them," the old woman said. "They live so far away you see."

"It must be the worst time to plan a visit though," the woman said. "I've heard stories about bandits and thieves around hear."

"That doesn't scare my Sousuke and I one bit," the old woman chuckled. "We may be on in years, but the two of us have run a forge since we first met. He was my father's apprentice you see…" She chuckled again, thinking back to younger days.

"What are you two going to the Land of Tea for," the woman asked while getting some ingredients for our lunch from a wagon. Hinata looked over at me and I shrugged. "My sister and I are traveling with our husbands to make trade agreements with a merchant in the Land of Tea," I answered.

"Yes," Hinata said. "Our father was a wealthy shop keeper in our small village and he left it to our husbands when he died."

"How long have the two of you been married," asked the woman with a smile.

"Two years," I said.

"Three," Hinata said at the same time. The two of us looked at each other and almost burst into fits of laughter. We hadn't thought of discussing these sorts of details with one another since we didn't have the time. "Ume has been married to Shinji for three years, and our father had me marry Kaname two years ago," I answered.

"They were arranged marriages," the woman asked with a sad look. "I could never imagine such a thing…I married Saka out of love."

"They were arranged yes," Hinata answered as I grabbed some cooking utensils from the wagon the woman had gotten the ingredients from. "Although father made sure that my sister and I were compatible matches for our husbands."

"Ohoho," the old woman muttered. "That explains it…"

"Explains what," Hinata asked as she and I helped the other woman, whose name I found out was Kikiyo. The old woman smiled. "That red head has been looking at you with that longing look in his eye girly," she said while pointing her walking stick at me. "Reminds me of the way my husband used to look at me before he got the guts to ask me out…hohoho!"

"What do you mean, that G-er…guy has got his eye on me," I said with a prominent blush. "Shinji is devoted to my sister! He has been since the day they met!"

"That boy is smitten with you," the old woman said. "And with that look on your face I'd say you've got the hots for him too." Hinata was trying her hardest not to laugh as the woman eyed me up and down. "Look here grandma," I said while trying to look angry, although I must say it was my embarrassment that was making me so flustered since the old woman was right on the money about my feelings for Gaara. "I am happily married to my husband and would rather die than so much as touch Ume's husband!"

"You must understand," Hinata said while looking at the old woman with a serious face, although I knew that her alter ego was dying of laughter at this point. Another tally mark was going in the book about Suki and her repressed feelings I could tell you that much… "Kaname and Jun have been in love with one another since they first met. I have seen the way Shinji looks at my sister, and I know that he doesn't feel for her as much as he does me. The two have been friends since we were little and I trust them both. Jun treats Shinji as a brother, nothing more."

"I still don't think I can imagine a life without Saka," Kikiyo whispered. "We've been together through just about everything and we still love one another just as much as we did when we were dating."

"Finding true love is tough," the old woman said. "It never comes easy…you have to fight hard to keep that love in your life." I sighed slightly and looked ahead of me out into the woods. The little boy, Kenshin, was still out there playing around with his stick. I felt myself smile a little at the sight, when I saw something move in the shadows of the trees. It was a slight rustle, but against the wind and even then it took a trained eye to see it. Grabbing the knife I had been using to cut the carrots for our meal, I dashed forward without a second thought. "Jun," Hinata shouted as I boosted my speed with a bit of chakra.

It was sheer luck that I made it to the boy in time. Just as I reached him a large mountain lion leaped out of the trees and would have gotten him had I not stepped in its way with my knife. Within moments I was on the ground with the lion on top of me, the boy behind me screaming and crying out of fear. I held the knife horizontally and the lion had the sharp end in its mouth. It let out a low growl and tightened its jaw around the blade.

"You hunted the wrong kid," I muttered to it, staring it straight in the eye. The lion showed no fear; only anger and contempt that I had intervened with her lunch. She growled louder this time and took a swipe at me with a paw. Letting go of the knife, I rolled out of the way fast, only to be grazed on the back by its thick claws. "Jun," Hinata shouted once more.

"No," Gaara yelled. I hadn't noticed him come running after me, but he was there just the same. Shino had also come running and grabbed the little boy since he was too frightened to even move. The soldiers were still trying to get to us to help, but I had a feeling they didn't even know what they would do once they reached us. The lion was about to come in for another attack, this time with both teeth and claws.

Before I knew what was happening, Gaara threw himself on top of me, trying to cover me before I was hurt. The next thing I knew, the lion stopped mid attack and ran back into the woods. "Oh God Suki," Gaara whispered in my ear. "I was so worried…don't do that again." I nodded slightly then found myself clutching Gaara's back, the adrenaline now wearing off. "Gaara," I mumbled "That lion has to belong to a ninja or something. The way it looked at me…it wasn't afraid of humans. It stopped in the middle of its attack on me when you jumped on top of me…I think it was called back by its owner."

"You might be right," Gaara whispered, pulling back a bit to look me in the eye. I nodded slightly, looking up at him. "Why is it," I mumbled. "That whenever I'm supposed to be protecting you it's hard and here you are protecting me as though it's the easiest thing in the world?" He didn't answer; instead he just looked at me. His usually stoic face and harsh eyes gave way to worry and a bit of sadness. It reminded me of the time he had held me tight in his arms when I had helped him suppress the Shukaku while everyone was trying to help him and his brother and sister save Matsuri. I felt a blush rise in my face when I remembered that he had kissed me for the third time and that was exactly what I wanted him to do now…

"Jun," I heard Hinata's voice shout out. "Shinji!" Gaara blushed a little, acting as though he had just realized he was still on top of me and he shot up like a rocket. I found myself smiling a bit at the way he reacted and slowly stood. "Shinji," Hinata said as she ran over to us. "I was so worried that…oh thank you for helping protect Jun!" Hinata threw her arms around Gaara's neck and he tentatively wrapped his arms around her waist. It was kind of ironic seeing the two shyest people I knew pretend to be husband and wife.

Gaara kissed the top of Hinata's head and made it seem as though he was whispering calming words of love and a few sweet nothings into Hinata's ear. I looked away from the two, feeling rather jealous even though I knew it was just an act the two were playing. "Jun," Shino said as I walked over to him. "I thought that animal would rip you to pieces! You have no idea how scared I was when I saw you jump in there like that!"

"I'm sorry Kaname," I said as I threw my arms around him. "I just saw that lion at the last minute and didn't think. I just rushed in there to help Kikiyo's son…"

"I know," Shino whispered before wrapping his arms around me, acting as though he was calming down. "I just don't know what I would do without you." I smiled. "I don't plan on leaving you just yet," I said with a small laugh. Pulling Shino's scarf down, I pressed my lips against his. For some reason, my mind went to Gaara watching me kiss Shino like this. I found myself making the kiss more heated, wanting to make him as jealous as I felt when he kissed Hinata's head.

"J-Jun," Shino mumbled after pulling away slowly. "N-not in front of everyone…"

"So what if everyone knows I'm in love with my husband," I asked, watching the blood rise to Shino's face. I was almost positive that he hadn't kissed a girl like that before. He had no way of arguing with me so he had to bite the bullet so to speak. Shino held me close for a moment or so before letting me go and going to speak to Gaara as Hinata walked back. "Possibly a ninja," she whispered in my ear. I nodded. "I'm almost certain," I whispered back.

I watched as Gaara and Shino spoke with the captain of the guard and he looked over at me. Hinata and I went back to work making the lunch while Kikiyo was holding her little boy close and calming him down. "So," the captain of the guard said as he walked over to Hinata and I. "I've never seen anyone run that fast before…care to explain how that happened?" Shrugging, I went on peeling the carrots while Hinata busied herself with tending to the wounds on my back. "I'm a fast runner," I said. "What can I say?"

"Well the way you handled yourself with that big animal was very interesting to say the least. How were you able to fend it off with just a knife? I thought only skilled assassins would be able to do something like that."

"Look," I said while looking the man in the eye. "I don't know what came over me. I saw that lion and knew it was going to go after the kid. I guess a mother's instinct kicked in and I acted on impulse. Never in my life have I done something that stupid."

"What you need a list," Hinata muttered under her breath so only I could hear. I lightly elbowed her in the side, making her understand that now was not the time, although she was right. If there was anything I was known for, it was being the smartest person making the most stupid decisions that even Naruto wouldn't consider.

"I see," the captain said as Hinata started to dab at the scratches on my back with a cotton ball. "Well I'm glad that you and the boy are alright."

"I wouldn't exactly say alright but I guess it's as good a word as any," I said with a slight hiss; the antiseptic Hinata was using stung a bit more than I thought it would. The captain gave me a small smile and nodded. "Good," he said as Hinata applied a cream that would stop the bleeding. "We reach the bridge at four and that's where we stop and make camp for the night." He walked away with his lieutenant at his heels and I sighed to try and calm myself. This day was turning out to be a little rougher than I normally liked…

"I don't know how to thank you," Kikiyo said as she walked over with her son in her arms. "If I had lost my son, I don't know what I'd do. Is there any way my husband and I can repay you for your kindness?"

"Please," I said. "Just knowing he's safe now is enough and all the repayment I need."

"You really are a wonderful person," she said while clutching her son closer. "There should be more people in the world like you."

"You know something," Hinata whispered as Kikiyo walked away. "She's right. You really are a wonderful person Suki." I smiled at my best friend and gave her a light punch on the shoulder. "Yeah," I said. "Maybe, but no one is a better friend than you Hinata."

"Well, maybe Gaara," she said with a smile. I blushed and shook my head, although…she was right. Gaara was one of the best friends I'd ever had. He always came through in a pinch and I knew he was the best person to talk to when I was feeling down. Gaara meant so much more to me than I ever thought possible, but I could never let him know. He wouldn't feel the same. He had Matsuri waiting for him to come home in one piece and it was my job to make sure he did.

Gaara's POV

I felt myself wanting to rip that guy Shino's guts out. I didn't have anything against him, far from it actually since he and I seemed to be getting along fairly well; he preferred to only say what was necessary just like I did. The problem was that right now he was lip locked with the one woman I loved. Okay, so maybe it wasn't his fault and it wasn't him who started the kiss, but did he have to kiss back so needily?

I shook my head and told myself to stop thinking about these kinds of things. I was just being stupid again. It was just that when I saw that mountain lion go after her like that…I felt so scared and thought that something horrible would happen to her. Adrenaline had made me run faster than I thought I could without the use of chakra and when I made it to her I did the only thing I thought I could do to protect her. I guess throwing myself on top of her wasn't the best idea I could have come up with but she was still safe and so was I.

A part of me sort of wished to be on top of her again…not in a perverted sense, but just holding her like that again. The way she had pulled me in so close out of fear made me want to hold her and sooth her as best I could. I even started to think back of the first time I had really held her. She had been wounded seriously trying to protect me and not only had she saved my life, I had saved hers as well. It had been the second time I had kissed her as well. I found myself blushing when I thought of how I had wanted to kiss her again when we were on the ground just now…

"This isn't good," Shino whispered to me as he walked over. "That wasn't an ordinary attack."

"I agree," I muttered, still a little angry at him. "Do you have any idea what that was about?"

"My kikai tell me that the lion was summoned by a rouge ninja. I wasn't able to do anything…I got the message just as the lion attacked the boy." He sighed. "God I hate feeling helpless…if it wasn't for Suki that boy would have been killed."

"Any idea what it was after," I asked in a low voice. I sort of understood where he was coming from as well. Suki really did have good eye sight. If she hadn't, that boy would be ripped into pieces before anyone could have saved him.

"No clue," Shino mumbled. "All I do know is that it was more or less a warning as to what's going to come. I had been hoping that there was only one group of rouge ninja's involved. Our team took them out and Kiba was able to use a jutsu and convince Tessi that he was the leader. Looks like we were wrong about it being just one group."

"Any chance Tessi saw threw the ruse," I asked. Shino shook his head. "Kiba was perfect in every aspect. The last time we contacted him he thought we would attack the wagons at four near the bridge." I nodded trying to think of something else. It wouldn't make sense for Tessi to hire more than one rouge ninja group…the groups would argue with one another about who would get what and all sorts of things like that. The only other thing that was really off about this trip was the ones that were guarding us. They didn't look like regular guards except for the captain and his lieutenant.

"Have any of the guards left there posts," I asked.

"Not that I noticed," Shino said. "We could ask the girls later in case either of us missed something." I nodded in agreement. If Shino and I had missed something then the girls would have noticed it for sure. You'd have to be pretty shady to be able to not be noticed by four watchful ninja around you, that much I knew.

Lunch was pretty uneventful; mostly praises for Suki and her bravery for saving the little boy, but we kept an eye out just in case. Shino and I weren't even able to get a moment or two alone with our 'wives' until after packing up and moving out. "Did you notice anything back there," I asked Hinata. She shook her head.

"I used my byakugan but not for too long. I was almost caught by one of the soldiers but I did see that mountain lion rush off towards the south west end of the forest. Other than that I don't have much else. I didn't even see the guy that had summoned it in the first place…all I know is that they are strong and looking for ninja that might be working undercover here."

"I see," I whispered while walking along side her. "You've been very helpful Hinata. Thank you." Hinata blushed and looked down at her feet. "No wonder Suki thinks so highly of you," she whispered in an almost inaudible voice. "You're so kind." I felt a small blush come to my face as I looked at her and she smiled a little. "What makes you say that," I asked.

"Well," Hinata mumbled. "I hardly know you and yet you praise me for work that I would have done on any mission, even thought the work I'm doing here isn't nearly as much as on a regular mission since we have to stay undercover. Yet here you are complimenting me and thanking me for doing such minimal work."

"Perhaps I should work you harder then," I said as a joke. Hinata smiled at me again. "Better be careful or I'll tell Naruto that you've been flirting with his girlfriend."

"Pretty fast for the repartee, eh," I asked with a smile. "Naruto rub off on you?"

"Not as much as Suki," Hinata whispered. "After being friends with her for so long, you learn a thing or two. Probably not one of the best things to do with someone you're just getting to know."

"Not exactly," I mumbled. "Although I don't mind it….perhaps I've been hanging out with Suki too much as well."

"She rubs off on you doesn't she?"

"A lot more than I thought she ever would," I whispered, knowing she wouldn't hear. Hinata's smile fell as she thought something over. "What is it," I asked as she looked down at her feet.

"I was just thinking," she mumbled. "Do you really think that an attack might happen when we reach the bridge?"

"I don't know," I whispered. "I hope not, but the way things are going now there might be. Why? What is it you're so worried about?"

"It's just that everyone else from our old team along with a few others are waiting at the bridge just in case and I'd hate to think that Naruto might get injured…" I nodded in understanding. It hurt to have someone you cared about get injured, especially when you loved that someone. It practically killed me to see Suki get hurt earlier, although she seemed completely fine now.

"Don't worry," I said. "Naruto is strong; he'll be fine."

"Who's Naruto," asked a small voice. Hinata and I looked over to see the little three year old girl walking next to us, holding her older brothers hand. "He's my wife's cat," I said, looking at her with a small smile. The girl grinned as she looked up at me. "You have a kitty," she asked with awe.

"Yes," Hinata answered while thinking of Naruto. "He's an orange kitty with black stripes and blue eyes."

"Awww," the girl said. "I love kitties…"

"I don't," her brother said with a shiver. I could tell he was thinking back to that mountain lion. "Not every animal is bad," I said in a low voice. "It just depends on who trains them." The boy looked up at me and nodded. "That's what my dad always says," he said. "But that was a wild animal…what if it comes back again?!"

"It won't," I reassured him, although I knew better. It wouldn't be good if he was frightened by me. "Yeah but what if it comes back to get me cause I got away," the boy cried, his grip tightening on his sisters hand.

"Even if it did," I said to him. "There are people here to protect you."

"Yeah but that old lady said that that girl moved with the speed of a ninja," he said. "Dad says ninja's are bad and kill people…what if she sent the lion after me?"

"Why would she do that," Hinata asked in a soothing voice. "She wouldn't have saved you if she had sent that lion after you."

"Dummy," his sister said with a laugh.

"Shut up stupid," the boy said while letting go of her hand and ran ahead. The girl started to sniff and then bawled her eyes out. I had no idea a child could cry so easily and so loudly either…I felt like covering my ears since I had no idea how to make her stop, while Hinata scooped the child up into her arms and tried to sooth her while taking the girl back to her mother. The girl's mother thanked Hinata and was able to calm the child and I breathed a sigh of relief.

It would have been really bad if the girl had cried for the next three hours like that. We were in dangerous territory and it would be bad news if we had been found. The girl could have alerted any rouge ninja, thieves, and bandits within what seemed like a ten mile radius. Jeez I never knew a kid could be so loud…don't get me wrong, I like kids. I even wanted to have one or two when I was older but that child seemed overwhelming at best.

"She's a cute little girl," Hinata whispered when she caught up to me. I nodded although I couldn't really agree with her at the moment. My ears were still ringing and I wanted it to stop. Hinata and I walked in silence again, not that it was an uncomfortable one. Far from it; we both enjoyed solitude even though she wasn't exactly a loner. She and I seemed to have a mutual understanding with one another.

Not another word was spoken as the two of us walked on. It seemed to take a lot longer than I thought it would to reach the bridge. Clouds started to gather around the sun and the guard captain halted us again. "Looks like we won't be reaching the bridge today," he shouted back to everyone. "We can't risk going across a slippery rickety bridge with precious cargo. We're going to camp here for the night. I want all able bodied men to gather round me and volunteer for guard duty." Hinata nodded at me as I walked over to the guard captain with Shino.

"How is she," I asked him as the guard captain handed out pieces of paper with times on it. Shino sighed a little and shook his head. "What can I say," he said solemnly. "Jun is Jun. She acts like she's not in pain and yet I know she is. I offered to carry her on my back once or twice but she refused."

"I see," I said while looking over at Suki and Hinata. Hinata was applying a cream to Suki's back now and I found myself wanting to be near her, to comfort her in any way I could. "Sir," said a voice. I looked back at the guard captain and took a piece of paper. It said that I was going to have the midnight to two watch.

"Now that everyone has a paper," the guard captain said after he finished passing them out. "I should explain that one other person has the same time you do. You will be partnered with that person while on the watch. I'll call you up by times. First is the eight to ten watch; raise your hand if you have it. You'll be paired with me." Shino raised his hand and the guard captain nodded, and then called out the next watch. A guard and the old man raised their hands. Mine was called next and as I raised my hand, so did the lieutenant. I glared at the man, remembering that he was the one that hit on Suki when I let her go looking for Hinata and Shino. He smirked at me and then walked away.

"Are you feeling any better Jun," asked Shino as we sat down to eat underneath a tree. It had started to rain a little and everyone had set up their tents in a circle inside the protection of the wagons; which encircled the group, making a sort of barrier. "I'm fine Kaname," Suki answered with a smile. "Don't worry about me so much."

"I put on more medicine so it should help," Hinata said. "I'm just worried that it might get infected."

"Once we get to our destination we can see a proper doctor," I said. "I'd hate to think you needed stitches."

"Will you all stop worrying about me," Suki said sternly. "I'm fine! It's not that deep of a wound and Ume already put on an antiseptic. It's not like I'm on my death bed ya know!" I smiled a little and finished my rice. Suki would be stubborn at a time like this. I was worried that if an attack did happen they might use that injury against her, although that worry might all be for nothing since she never goes down without a fight.

"We just don't want anything to happen to you Jun," Hinata said while laying her head on Suki's shoulder. Suki smiled and placed her head on top of Hinata's. "I know," she whispered. "I just hate having to act like a weakling when I'm not."

"Such a tomboy," Shino said with a snort of laughter.

"Got a problem with it," Suki said with a smirk. "I thought you liked your girls that way." Shino blushed and shrugged. "All that matters to me is that they don't mind insects," Shino muttered. "Not that I'd find a girl that wouldn't. Besides the only two I've ever found tolerable have a guy."

"You'll find one," Suki said. "You'll see. One day you'll be walking along and bam! There she is." Shino smiled at Suki and I felt my heart sink just a bit. What she said was true, although I hadn't realized it back then. How was I supposed to know the girl of my dreams was right in front of me that fateful night? I never thought someone would be this important to me, nor did I know it would be her…someone like Suki rarely comes along in a person's life. I guess she was like Naruto in that sense; he always seemed to touch every person's life without even knowing it. Perhaps it's the water the people in the Hidden Leaf Village drink.

It was raining by the time everyone went to sleep and I felt a little jealous that Shino was able to take such an early watch, not to mention I knew he was sleeping next to Suki for the night. As I lay next to Hinata, I found myself unable to sleep. I couldn't exactly explain why either… perhaps it was because I was so used to sleeping next to Suki?

Strange; now that I thought about it, I barely slept at all before she had asked to sleep next to me when we watched that horror movie together. Suki was able to relax me and it made me feel complete when I held her in my arms. With her, I only dreamed good dreams, not the nightmares of skin, blood, and bone. It was so much easier to sleep with Suki by my side.

"Hey," said a gruff voice at the opening flap of the tent. "You're turn to watch Shinji." I nodded at the old man and crawled out of the tent, trying not to disturb Hinata. "Here," the old man said, handing me a lantern and a blanket. "You should cover up a bit."

"Thank you," I said while wrapping the blanket around my neck and pulling up one end to use as a hood. It was pouring out by the time I started to walk the perimeter of the encampment. If anyone would attack us now it would be the worst time. I wouldn't be able to use my ninjutsu since the soil was soaking wet, but it wasn't good weather to attack in now. Still, you could never be too careful; sometimes a storm is the perfect cover for a sneak attack.

I stopped underneath a tree for a bit to try and dry off a little when I heard something up above me. Reacting quickly, I threw a kunai into the tree and heard it hit a branch. "Gaara," said a hushed voice. "Relax, it's just me." Suki jumped down from above me and gave me a small smile. "Prove it," I whispered in a low voice. "What was it that you gave me the second time I left your village?"

"I gave you my address," she whispered back with a smirk. "I also gave you a present. What was the present?"

"A snow globe," I answered in a very low voice. "Which still happens to be on my desk by the way."

"Gathering dust no doubt," Suki mumbled. I smiled at her and shook my head. "What are you doing up," I asked, keeping my voice as low as possible. "You should be asleep by now." Suki seemed to blush as she looked away. "Couldn't," she whispered. "The scratches from the lion really make it hard to lie on my back. Not only that, but Shino snores." I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. Suki smiled back at me and I shook my head. "Are you really a light sleeper," I asked.

"No," she whispered. "Shikamaru would snore pretty badly too, as did Neji, but I'm so used to it being quite when I sleep now." A part of me was wondering if Suki was trying to say that she missed sleeping next to me, but I quickly pushed that thought away. I just nodded again as a large gust of wind blew out the lantern. Before I could relight it, I heard Suki take a step closer, but trip over something.

"Ahh," she cried. Dropping the lantern, I grabbed her in my arms before she hit the cold, wet ground. "G-Gaara," she murmured. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized her lips were close to mine. I felt myself blush a bit as I looked into her eyes. "You…I…" she whispered. I don't know what she was trying to say, but I didn't let her go. Instead, I pulled her closer and was about to kiss her when a light shone on both of us.

Immediately Suki and I pulled away from each other. I picked up the lantern that had fallen and looked back up to see the lieutenant looking at the two of us with a smirk. "Well, well," Lieutenant Fujikaku said. "Mrs. Mora, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with your husband?"

"I couldn't sleep because of the scratches," Suki said. "It hurts to lay on them so I decided to go for a walk. I noticed Shinji was out here so I decided to talk to him."

"You do realize Mrs. Mora that your brother-in-law is on guard duty and that someone could slip in unawares if he is distracted?"

"I'm sorry," Suki said. "I didn't think that…"

"You should go back to bed Jun," I said. "Ume and Kaname would be angry with me if I allowed you to catch cold." Suki looked at me and nodded before walking back to her tent. Lieutenant Fujikaku's eyes followed her the whole time as he licked his lips. "So," he said while looking back at me. "You meet with your wife's sister often?"

"It's not what you think," I said angrily as he relit my lantern. His smirk widened as he handed back the lamp. "Sure," he said. "And the way your eyes follow her every movement must be an illusion."

"Exactly," I said while grabbing the lamp.

"Then why was it that you protected her when that lion came and her husband was the one that brought the child back to his mother?"

I didn't answer him and turned away from him. I had protected Suki simply because I loved her; there was no other reason why. She was everything to me…I doubted that this Fujikaku would understand if I told him that, not that I could anyway. "You looked like you were going to kiss her too; not that I'd blame you for wanting to," he said, continuing to antagonize me. "She is a hot piece of something, walking around the way she does with that gorgeous body. Answer me man to man, just how tight can she get?" That had done it. I whirled around and pinned Fujikaku to the tree behind us, my hand at his throat.

"You would do well not to speak of my brother's wife that way," I said while squeezing harder. "She isn't a toy…S-she's a wonderful person." Fujikaku looked at me frightened, and I glared back at him. I wanted to kill him for what he said about Suki. If I could, I would use my sand to rip this man apart. The only reason I didn't wasn't because of the mission, but because the ground was too damn wet from the rain water.

I tossed Fujikaku to the ground and he got up again. "I should tell my captain about this," he growled after standing up. I smirked at him and shook my head. "You do," I muttered. "And I won't hesitate to kill you. Hell, you even so much as look at Jun the wrong way and I'll stab you in the back. Got it?" Fujikaku just glared back at me and grabbed his lantern before walking away.

I knew he would leave Suki alone after this, but I still didn't trust him. I wasn't lying when I said I would kill him. In fact, I wanted to spill his blood all over the place right now. The only problem was that I didn't understand why I wanted to rip his throat out so badly. The Shukaku wasn't in my body anymore and he was the one that had always made me feel the way I felt now. Not only that but the way he talked about Suki, like she was a piece of meat, made my chest hurt.

I shrugged away the feelings and continued with my guard duty. It wasn't long before it was time to switch with one of the other guards, but it had finally stopped raining by then. After switching with the next person that had guard duty, I lie next to Hinata and found myself looking up at the tents top. I couldn't sleep; not without Suki next to me.

It wasn't comfortable, lying here without her in my arms. I longed to hold her, to smell her scent, to feel her warm breath against my skin. I couldn't deny that this night had been sheer hell without her, but then I started to think about what would happen when she left the Sand Village for good. She couldn't stay there forever; she had other things to take care of at home. She had a life there, family and friends that cared for her. It was selfish of me to keep her to myself like this. It was heaven to have her around, but I would soon have to let her go. I couldn't keep her by my side like I wanted to; I didn't have the guts to claim her as my own. Hell, I couldn't even tell her how I felt.

_You should have just let her go the second time,_ I thought to myself. _What made you ask her to stay?_ Sheer stupidity that was what. The thought of her walking out my office and back to Neji was unthinkable at the time. At the time I didn't even want him to be near her; I wanted her to myself. I wanted her to forget Neji and fill her heart with me. Perhaps that was what lead to the kisses we shared. An animalistic part of me was awakened when Suki told me that she needed me at that moment. I had thought that perhaps that was the moment to show her that she should be with me. I could mark her as my own in a sense. If Matsuri hadn't knocked, I wouldn't have become my rational self again. Thank God she had…

Dawn finally crept up over the tree line and signaled the start of the day. After eating breakfast, the entire camp packed up and moved out. Having no sleep was taking its effect on me now. "Gaara," Hinata whispered as we walked together. "Are you alright?"

"I just didn't sleep very much last night," I mumbled.

"From the looks of it Suki didn't either," Hinata murmured. "I told her that I should have changed her bandages but she insisted that she was fine…"

"She doesn't like to be a burden to anyone does she," I asked. Hinata smiled at me and gave me a slight nod. "Yes," she said. "She always thinks of others no matter what. She could be mortally injured and still act as though nothing was wrong. She hates to see others worry."

"She really does," I said while watching Suki longingly. She was walking with Shino again and she had her head on his shoulder, obviously either trying to show that the two were lovers or that she was really tired. If she hadn't gotten any sleep last night with that injury, then we were in big trouble if we got attacked. Neither of us was at our best, although I was sure that Hinata and Shino could handle themselves. All I could do was hope that nothing bad would happen today…

It wasn't long before we finally reached the bridge. Shino and Hinata looked around wondering if there was anything in the surrounding woods. "Captain," said one of the guards as we all stopped for a small rest.

"What is it," asked the captain while turning to look at the man. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah," the guard said with a smirk. "The men and I have decided you shouldn't be running this show anymore."


	26. Chapter 26

Suki's POV

"Suki," Shino whispered. "We're surrounded on all sides by these guards and then there is a circle of rouge ninja's around us in the forest. There isn't a way to escape." I nodded slowly as the guards started to tie up their captain and lieutenant; too bad that jerk wasn't in on this. I would have loved being able to slit his throat. "We should lay low until an opportunity arises don't you agree," I mumbled.

"I think so too," Shino whispered back. "Be extremely careful; we should try and find out who hired them in the first place…"

"Alright people," shouted the bandit now in charge. "This is a raid! If you cooperate and do as we say we may let you live long enough to see tomorrow! Men are going over here, women and children over there!" I could hear the two children start to cry when their father was ripped away from them, tied up and thrown to the men's side. I grabbed Shino's hand, part of me afraid at what might happen to all of us.

Looking over at Gaara, I noticed his arms were wrapped protectively around Hinata as she buried her face into his shoulder. Jealousy made me want to stomp over there and rip the two apart, but I knew I couldn't do anything reckless. Gaara's eyes locked onto mine and I felt my heart melt. He was worried, that much I knew. His grip on Hinata tightened once he looked into my eyes and for some reason I wanted his arms around me again. If only the two of us had been paired up together…

"Come here you," shouted a guard as he grabbed the back of my collar roughly and dragged me over toward the woman's side. Shino was grabbed from behind and tied up. "Jun," Shino shouted. "Jun!" He struggled against the bonds as I tried to get out of the man's grip. "No," I shouted as he threw me to the ground and climbed on top of me.

"Feisty aren't you," he growled. "I like that…" I hated the fact that I couldn't use my ninja abilities right now. If I did it would jeopardize everything…

"Didn't I tell you to keep your hands off the women," shouted a voice as the man was kicked off of me by a rouge ninja. "The captain won't like it!" I looked up at the ninja, a part of me thankful that he was able to keep his laky off me. That was, until I saw his face. There was no mistaking it, the black hair and brown eyes…the way he smirked at me. "Well, well," he said, his smirk growing. "If it isn't my favorite person in the world…" My eyes grew wide as he looked down at me.

"Been about ten years am I right," he asked while pulling me up off the ground by my hair. "Aka, tell the Captain I'm staking claim to this whore here." I struggled in fear as the man tied me up tightly and threw me onto the ground next to Hinata.

"Jun," Hinata said as I sat up. "Are you alright?"

"Not good," I mumbled. "They know me."

"What, what do you mean," she asked with worry. I shook my head. "Don't worry," I whispered. "As far as I know they only know me…" The man who tied me up walked over to me while the rest of the men went through the wagons or guarded the men. "So," he said while glaring at me. "Anyone else like you around?" I didn't answer him, just glared back. His smirk grew as he licked his lips. "Come on Suki," he said. "Don't play me. I know you're not strong enough to protect this caravan on your own."

"Sorry to break it to you but I've advanced a lot more than you think," I spat. "A lot farther than you ever will."

"Actually I'm just surprised you're still alive. Last time I saw you, you had your guts spilling out of you."

"Sorry to tell you this, but I had them put back in," I said with a smirk. "Still alive and still kicking…"

"So who are you protecting; or should I ask who's protecting you?" I smirked and shook my head. "Sorry to disappoint," I muttered. "I don't know anyone else here." It wasn't long before a foot connected to the side of my head and I fell back onto the ground. "Now will you talk or will I have to take you to the boss," he asked.

"Threatening me with the boss already Keita," I asked while trying to sit myself up. "And here I thought that you had a bit more skill than this." A kick to my gut was next as he glared at me in anger. "Don't forget Suki," he said angrily. "I'm still ten years your senior. Why I didn't finish you off all those years ago is a mystery to me."

"They say blood is thicker than water," I said. "Maybe deep down you really cared about what you were doing to your younger cousin."

"Yeah right," Keita said with a laugh. "You shouldn't even exist. I was doing the family a service by getting rid of you."

"Well you didn't do a good enough job now did you?" His leg connected with my head again. Keita was good with his legs when it came to tai-jutsu; no surprise there really. "Always have an answer don't you," Keita said while my head was ringing.

"You're really bugging me you know that," I hissed. "I'm just wondering if you'll be throwing me over the cliff side next!" Keita laughed and shook his head. "I'd love to do that, but unfortunately the boss wants to meet you. You seemed to have caught his eye…"

"I'm really scared now," I said with a smirk, as he yanked me to my feet by my hair. Hinata had kept her mouth shut until now, but the look in her eyes made me realize that she was near her breaking point. The fact that she had over heard my conversation with my cousin was already eating away at her.

"He's gonna tear you apart Suki," Keita said. "Although I'd rather have the pleasure of doing that myself…"

"Leave her alone," Hinata shouted while she got up and started to pound her fists against Keita's back. "Don't hurt her!" Keita whirled around and backhanded her face. "Whore," he said while raising a leg to kick her.

"Stop," I shouted. "She has nothing to do with this…"

"You know her," Keita asked. "Is this bitch with you?"

"No," I said while glaring at him. "I don't know her. I just met her when I joined up with the caravan."

"If you're lying," he said while pulling out a kunai and pressing it against my throat. "I'll kill her right in front of you and then slit your lying throat you got it?"

"I could care less if you killed her," I muttered. "She means nothing to me…I just hate seeing innocent blood being spilt." Hinata looked at me with tears in her eyes and I felt my insides ripping apart. She was my best friend and the fact that I had to say what I had just said was really hurtful. Keita smirked and shook his head. "Always the softy weren't you Suki," he said. "Let's get going."

Keita grabbed me by the hair and lead me over to where a group of thugs were sitting around talking. "This is her sir," Keita said while tossing me to the ground again. "The one I told you about." A man with brown hair and green eyes stood up. I heard a growl from behind him and looked over to see the mountain lion I had saved the little boy from. "So," he said with a laugh. "You're the one that made trouble for my cat."

"So what if I did," I spat while trying to sit up. "It had no right to go after a defenseless child." The man smirked as his lion sat next to him with a growl in my direction. I assumed the two could communicate with one another just as Kiba and Akamaru communicated, but I hoped I was wrong. "What do you think of her Mina," the man said while placing a hand on the lions head. "Was she as formidable as Keita makes her out to be?" Well so much for that hope!

The lion let out a low growl and leaned against its master. "I wonder that myself," the man said. "Did she say she was the only ninja here Keita?" My cousin nodded as the man looked down at me once more. "Interesting," he said while lifting me up roughly by my arm. "Because Mina says there has to be at least one more…she says someone tried to protect you; someone that seemed particularly worried for your safety. Who is he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered.

"The one who threw himself on top of you, who is he?"

"I told you I don't know," I shouted. "Just some guy that seemed to have taken an interest in me; I was hired only to protect some small fry merchant. He asked me to pass as his wife so we could stay close to each other at all times."

"You really expect me to believe that," the man asked with a smirk.

"No, I don't. It would seem pretty far fetched to me if I was running a group like this but I have no reason to lie to you." I felt stinging pain as someone smacked me from behind on the head. "You idiot," said Keita. "You're a ninja; you've been raised to lie in circumstances like this!"

"I still don't see a reason to lie," I said. "Especially since I don't see a way out of this."

"She's not as foreboding as you said Keita. She's just a low class ninja selling her abilities." I felt myself smirk inside as I pretended to seem scared and pitiful. Oh how much I would enjoy making a mockery of all these men. I'm sure Shino, Hinata, and Gaara felt the same. The lion let out a small roar as her master pet her.

"Perhaps not," the man said as he stroked the lion. "Then again, we should find out just how powerful this girl really is…" The man whirled me around pulled me close to him; then he began to run one hand up and down my body as his arm held me to him in a death grip. "Kyaa," I shouted as the man roughly grabbed my right breast before pressing a couple of fingers in between my legs.

"You make interesting sounds," the man murmured. "I wonder what else you can do…"

"Sir," Keita said while glaring at his leader. "I staked claim on her earlier…" The man stopped molesting me just long enough to shoot a glare my cousin's way. "Didn't you tell me before that this is your cousin Keita," the man asked while continuing to map out my body. "Are you telling me you still harbor feelings for her?" Keita snorted.

"You must be kidding me Somuku," he said. "I tried to kill her in the past. I obviously didn't succeed; my only wish is to humiliate and disgrace her in the worst way possible. Although I still want to kill her, a part of me wants to destroy her in every way possible."

"Keita Kanou you bastard," I shouted while struggling against Somuku. "How can you say that to your own flesh and blood?!"

"You're not a part of my family," Keita shouted back while slapping me across the face. "When my mother learned that you where the prodigy child, she killed all of my sisters and herself; all she ever wanted was to bring peace and happiness to her clan…all she wanted was a child that could use jutsu's like her brothers…it was her dream to have that child!

"You're a privileged little bitch Suki! You've got all the things in life you'll ever need; but I guess since you'll be the head of the clan one day, you know that right? You're selfish and you always get what you want in life yet you act like it's never enough! The way I see it is that it should have been one of my sisters Suki, not you!"

"You think I'm privileged," I muttered in a dark tone. "You have no idea how wrong you are…I'm an outcast Keita! The only people in this clan that ever gave a damn about me are my parents and my brother. Everyone else wants me dead…this is no privilege. It's a curse. You know the prophecy as well as I do. 'The shadow shall fall for he who can not feel love'. In other words the person I truly love will never love me back!"

I felt tears well up in my eyes as I glanced over at Gaara. The look of rage on his face made my heart sink. I knew he hadn't heard the words I had just said, but he had heard the shouting. He knew a part of my past I never told him before…and I had never planned on telling him. Now he would know about the clan's secrets. That I would one day be the leader and that most of my family wanted me dead right now. If we survived this, he would ask questions that I didn't want to answer. The problem was that if he did ask I would answer truthfully; I couldn't lie to Gaara.

"Oh boohoo," Keita said. "You still get everything!" I felt anger course through my veins as I glared at my cousin. "You know what," I said. "Why don't we fight this out? I'm sure it would be interesting entertainment for your boss and it would be nice for you to see how strong I've gotten right?"

"She's right," Somuku said. "It does sound entertaining. Do what you want with her Keita. Once you're finished bring me that dark blue haired girl with the weird eyes. I think she might be more willing than your cousin."

Somuku released me from his grip and shoved me towards my cousin. Keita smirked as he yanked me over to the group of girls again. I felt my heart pound with worry over Hinata. I knew she would try to hold her own against these guys but if they found out she was a ninja we were toast. What was taking Kiba and Naruto so long? They should have been here by now…

"It's been nice knowing you Suki," Keita said while pulling me from my thoughts. I noticed we were close to the cliff edge and I tried to pull away from him. "No," I shouted as he yanked me along. "You wouldn't!"

"Really Suki," Keita said while pulling me close to him. "I once cut you open and gutted you like the swine you were. How you survived is beyond me…now I know you won't survive. Goodbye sweet cousin…" With that Keita gave me a kiss on the lips before tossing me over. "No," I heard Gaara shout. "You bastard; I'm going to kill you for that! SUKI!"

_Shit,_ I thought. _Why did he have to shout my name? Now they know there's more than one ninja!_ I was safe…surely Shino told him that. He had instructed his insects to guard the cliff edge in case anyone fell or was thrown over the edge. It was at least 2000 yards down to the river and we couldn't afford to have any casualties. Those insects should catch me in just a few moments…right? If they didn't catch me soon I was going to be liquefied with the impact. "Come on," I muttered as the cliff edging whizzed by. "Come on!"

Fear started to course through my veins as I began to think that I might actually die this time. It's amazing to find out how slow time seems to go when you know your going to die. It felt like you had enough time to think of anything. So many thoughts passed through my head. Lots of them nostalgic, some regrets. Okay plenty regrets…like my yelling at Shikamaru. I wanted to forgive him for what happened because deep down I knew he didn't mean it to happen. Another was knowing that I was never going to see my mother and father ever again. The biggest regret I ever had though was not telling Gaara how I felt about him. "Gaara," I whispered as tears came to my eyes. "I'm sorry I never told you…"

Taking a deep breath I braced for impact with the ground. It would only hurt for a moment, I told myself. Only a moment…it was then that I felt myself land on something like arms. _Oh God,_ I thought as I started to zoom back upwards. _Thank you; thank you so much! I thought I was a goner for sure!_

While my thoughts were thanking whatever deity I could think of, I realized something was a little off. The things that were holding me…they didn't feel like Shino's insects…they felt like arms; maybe Gaara? No, it didn't feel like sand. I opened my eyes and thought I was imagining things. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Once I knew I wasn't, my eyes widened.

"NEJI?!"

Gaara's POV

I watched helplessly as everyone was tied up and shoved together in different groups. Holding onto Hinata, I looked over at Suki who was staring at me with worry. My grip tightened around Hinata and she let out a cute little squeak. "Sorry," I whispered.

"Don't worry," she mumbled, almost inaudibly. "She'll be fine. I know Suki. She's not going down without a fight." I felt myself nod a little just as some people tore us apart and roped me up like a hog ready for slaughter. It wouldn't surprise me if they planned on killing the men, raping the women, and selling the children off as slaves. I was thrown next to Shino and the Captain of the guards when I heard Suki let out a shout.

I looked over to where she was only to see a man on top of her. I glared at him as my heart began to pound in my chest. Barely noticeable dirt particles started to swirl around my legs as I thought of ripping that man in two. The fact that it had rained the night before was not good since it made the dirt clump together, making it harder to control. Had it not rained, the man would be dead before anyone could blink.

"Calm down," Shino said in his low monotone voice. "She'll be fine. You'll give us away if you use a jutsu here." I nodded a little and took a deep breath when another rouge ninja kicked the man off Suki. It wasn't long before he started dragging her to the woman's side and beating her. I struggled against my bonds as they both had a heated discussion.

I wasn't going to let anything happen to Suki…not this time. She always risked her life for me, never taking the time to think she shouldn't. It was my fault though…it wasn't right for me to ask her to go on missions with me just because I loved her. It wasn't right for me to ask so much of her just because I wanted her near me. A monster in my gut growled as he struck Suki upside the head.

"Looks like he knows her," Shino whispered. "That's all we need…"

"What are you talking about," the Captain hissed. "What's with all the secrets?"

"Let me ask you one thing sir," Shino said in a low voice. "Are these men usually with you on these trade routes?"

"What," the Captain asked astonished. "They are…well not exactly they just joined but they are my men…"

"Who gave the order to have you use these men," I whispered.

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"Everything," Shino said.

"It was Lord Kusanagi," he said.

"I thought so," Shino said.

"Hold on, there are two of them," I muttered. "Which one?"

"Lord Tessi," the Captain finally said. "He was the one that issued the order, but he told me Lord Kei had approved of it…"

"I thought as much," I said while looking over at Shino. Shino gave me what I perceived to be a glare, but I wasn't quite sure since he had his sunglasses on. "You're really bugging me you know that," I heard Suki hiss at her captor. "I'm just wondering if you'll be throwing me over the cliff side next!"

"Great," I muttered under my breath. "Give him ideas while your at it Suki."

"She's not giving him ideas," Shino whispered so only I could hear. "She's giving them to my insects." I looked at Shino confused as the rouge ninja dragged Suki over to the leader. "When we were put into teams after we graduated the academy, Hinata had a lot of insecurities about being able to fend off the enemy. Suki came up with a system so that either Akamaru or my insects could help her. If Hinata said someone was 'dogging' her that was code for Akamaru. If someone was 'bugging' her, it was code for my insects. Next she'd have to signal which sort of help she needed, attack or defense. Animals have an innate sense of hearing so Suki told her to put a small amount of stress on the letters 'a' and 'b', that way they would know which position to take. This sort of thing was used in emergencies of course and it actually helped Hinata a great deal. Suki was able to have her gain confidence in herself and Hinata became all the better for it."

"So you're saying that your insects are blocking something," I mumbled. Shino smiled and gave a slight nod. "My beetle's heard her use the stress signal on the letter 'b' when she said 'be'. She's thinking of the other people around here. If anyone is thrown over the cliff edge my beetles will catch them and lower them safely to the ground." I found myself smiling as I looked over at Suki. She was definitely something else, I thought as I felt something land on my hand.

"Beetle," I asked.

"Chewing through our ropes as we speak," Shino murmured. "Captain, I have a very important question to ask."

"What do you need now," he said, a little aggravated.

"Let's say I would be able to get you free from those ropes. Would you be willing to help us fight off these rouge ninja?"

"If that were even possible then yes," he said. "But how would you be able to do that?"

"I have my ways," Shino said as a beetle landed on his leg and crawled around. "Just don't scream when you feel them crawling. They're just there to chew through the ropes."

"Just who are you guys anyway?"

"Kohona Leaf Village Ninja," Shino said. "We were called to this mission by the request of Lord Kei Kusanagi."

"You're all ninja," he said in a harsh whisper.

"Not everyone. Just us and our companions," I whispered. "I'm Sabuko no Gaara, from the village Hidden in the Sand."

"What would a sand ninja want to do with a leaf ninja," the captain asked, his voice kept low. "I thought they hated each other."

"The feuds between us have ended, and we've become allies."

"How do you know they aren't plotting to stab you in the back?"

"Because I'm the Kazekage," I said in a low tone. "And the woman over there is my bodyguard for this semi-diplomatic mission; she's a leaf village ninja and I trust her with every fiber of my being."

The captain nodded as I watched the lead rouge ninja start to grope Suki. A horrible monster-like entity rose forth from my stomach and growled menacingly. _No_, I heard an inner voice say. _Get your filthy hands off my Suki! She's mine, not yours!_

"The one who threw himself on top of you, who is he," I heard the leader shout. The mountain lion from yesterday was with him, leaning against his leg and letting out low growls.

"I told you I don't know," Suki shouted back. "Just some guy that seemed to have taken an interest in me; I was hired only to protect some small fry merchant. He asked me to pass as his wife so we could stay close to each other at all times." Suki really could come up with some good ones if you gave her a second or two to think.

"You really expect me to believe that," the man asked with a smirk.

"No, I don't. It would seem pretty far fetched to me if I was running a group like this but I have no reason to lie to you." Suki was then hit over the head by the rouge ninja that brought her to the leader. "You idiot," said the man that hit her. "You're a ninja; you've been raised to lie in circumstances like this!"

"I still don't see a reason to lie," Suki said. "Especially since I don't see a way out of this." The leader started to grope Suki even more and she let out a distressed cry as one of his hands pressed in between her legs. I struggled against the bonds again, but they wouldn't break apart. _You're going to regret the day you touched my dear Suki,_ the voice inside me said. _If you so much as even lick her neck I'll kill you painfully!_

"Sir," the rouge ninja said while glaring at his leader. "I staked claim on her earlier…" The man stopped molesting Suki just long enough to shoot a glare his subordinate's way. "Didn't you tell me before that this is your cousin Keita," the man asked while continuing to map out Suki's body. "Are you telling me you still harbor feelings for her?" Keita snorted. My mind whirled with new information. Suki was that guy's cousin?! They did look alike but I couldn't believe she would be related to a guy like that. There was no way…it was all a joke, right? Somebody better jump out from the bushes and scream 'fooled you' right now.

"You must be kidding me Somuku," Keita said. "I tried to kill her in the past. I obviously didn't succeed; my only wish is to humiliate and disgrace her in the worst way possible. Although I still want to kill her, a part of me wants to destroy her in every way possible."

"Keita Kanou you bastard," Suki shouted while struggling against Somuku. "How can you say that to your own flesh and blood?!"

"You're not a part of my family," Keita shouted back while slapping her across the face. "When my mother learned that you where the prodigy child, she killed all of my sisters and herself; all she ever wanted was to bring peace and happiness to her clan…all she wanted was a child that could use jutsu's like her brothers…it was her dream to have that child!

"You're a privileged little bitch Suki! You've got all the things in life you'll ever need; but I guess since you'll be the head of the clan one day, you know that right? You're selfish and you always get what you want in life yet you act like it's never enough! The way I see it is that it should have been one of my sisters Suki, not you!"

Suki glared up at her cousin and muttered some words that I couldn't hear while my eyes widened and my mouth dropped open in horror. How could someone that was family to the most wonderful girl I knew deny her this way? Why didn't she tell me about this? I mean, we'd been friends for over four years now and she never even spoke about this sort of thing.

Her life…it was like mine in a way…but I wasn't what he called her. I was a monster while she was a prodigy child. What sort of prodigy child and why the hell did she not tell me she would one day become her clan's leader? I guess it wasn't really anything that comes up in a subject unless you're boasting about it but still. I thought I knew everything about Suki.

I did, however, know a few things about her that he would never know. He called her selfish, yet Suki was probably the most selfless person I had ever met. He called her privileged but from what I had seen, Suki led a normal life without the finer things. I mean, her parents weren't well to do people like some other clans but they weren't poor either. They would be more middle class. I never thought of Suki as the kind of girl that gets all that she wants either. She didn't just take from people and expect more, she gave back and expected less. She was never high and mighty either…she always put herself down when she felt people were praising her too much and she never really started arguments, her brother being the only exception. Suki always fought for what she believed in, even when it seemed like no one else believed in it.

Suki looked over at me with sad eyes and every ounce of me wanted to run over to her and take her in my arms. I would hold her close, whisper to her that everything would be alright, that I was here for her. I would kiss her forehead and let her cry on my shoulder if she needed to. As long as I held her…I knew she was safe; and I would feel happier than ever.

"Oh boohoo," Keita shouted. "You still get everything!" I swore if I ever got out of this I would kill that man she called a cousin. "You know what," Suki said with a smirk. "Why don't we fight this out? I'm sure it would be interesting entertainment for your boss and it would be nice for you to see how strong I've gotten right?"

"She's right," Somuku said. "It does sound entertaining. Do what you want with her Keita. Once you're finished bring me that dark blue haired girl with the weird eyes. I think she might be more willing than your cousin."

"Shit," Shino whispered to me. "If Naruto sees Hinata hurt, he'll rush in without the plan they're trying to concoct over there." I nodded and watched as the leader threw Suki over to her cousin and as he dragged her towards the cliff edge, horror filled my veins. _No,_ I thought as her cousin pulled her close. _Come on, you can get out of this_ _Suki…SUKI!_

"No," Suki shouted as my bonds began to break slowly. "You wouldn't!" Keita smirked at her, said a few words and kissed her upon the lips. _You piece of garbage,_ the monster in my gut said. _Those lips aren't for you to kiss!_ Suki let out a scream as he threw her over the cliff edge while at the same moment, my bonds snapped.

"Gaara," Shino hissed. "Don't…my beetles!" I didn't really hear him as blood banged against my eardrums and the thought of mutilating this man made me feel so much better. It was as if the Shukaku was still inside me…

"No," I screamed. "You bastard; I'm going to kill you for that! SUKI!" I lunged forward as my gourd flew from one of the wagons; thankfully the fact that it was made of sand made it so I could control it just as I controlled the sand inside it. "What the hell," Keita said as I charged towards him, sand forming armour around me and creating a kunai as well. Just as I was about to reach him, I felt something like hands grab onto my feet as I fell forward. _Shit,_ I thought. _They have the same bloodline running through their veins._

"Close one pal," Keita said as he looked down at me. "So you're a Ninja too eh? I'm guessing that blue haired bitch and that other guy are as well…"

"You son of a bitch," I growled as he smirked at me. "I won't let you get away with this. I'll kill you even if it's the last thing I do!" I could hear a battle behind me as Shino broke loose along with the captain and his lieutenant, and the old blacksmith. Hinata was now loose as well and I could here Naruto calling out her name as he ran across the bridge. There was the roar of a large cat and the howl of Akamaru as Kiba arrived on the scene. A smile came to my face as Keita looked at me with a glare. "Just who the hell are you?"

"My name is Sabuko no Gaara," I said as sand shot from my gourd and wrapped around his neck. "And before you start telling me how low a station I must be, I'll only say this once. I'm the Kazekage of the Sand." Keita's eyes narrowed at me while the sand tightened and wrapped around his wrists. Pulling his hands apart broke the jutsu just as ten to fifteen men rushed towards me.

Extending my hand, sand poured from my gourd, wrapping around each of them. "Sand coffin," I said while squeezing my extended hand. Shouts could be heard before the crunching of bones and the tearing of flesh. Keita's eyes widened in fear as I glared at him and brought him closer to me. "I know you," he shouted. "You're that tyrant from the Sand Village with that demon inside of him! They say all you ever do is kill…that you wipe out whole villages without a single care…that you even drink the blood of your enemies! They say that anyone who crosses you ends up dead…you're nothing but a monster."

"Not to Suki," I shouted as I felt my throat close. "She was the first and only person to see past all the rumors and lies I put up with my whole life! The reason I killed for pleasure was only because I felt alive when I did so…back then I was a sad child with no one that even attempted to understand me, let alone become my friend! Suki…she was the first one to ever show me what it's like to have someone care about you! She gave a damn about me and risked her life more times than I can count to keep me safe…although I'll never understand why she did. She was the first person to ever gain my trust and to show me how alone I was in the world. Someone like you could never understand how much I love her…"

The kunai I hade made of sand was plunged deep into her cousins stomach as what looked like a wave of realization hit him. "Are you the one," he grunted as blood poured from his stomach and trickled from his mouth. "That can't feel love?"

"What are you talking about," I hissed. Keita let out what sounded like a half cough half laugh. "Ask…the shadow…you…love so much," he whispered before taking his last breath. I pulled the kunai from his stomach knowing that I would never have the chance to do so now. Suki had fallen down the cliff edge and if Shino's beetles hadn't brought her back up yet, it was very unlikely that they would now. I let out a sigh as the carnage slowed until it came to a halt. It had been a quick and bloody battle; everyone on our side had survived except Suki.

"Gaara," Naruto said while walking over to me. "Hey, sorry we were a little late." I looked over at my friend and shook my head. "She's gone," I whispered, the shock still with me. "She…was thrown over the cliff edge." Naruto nodded slowly. "I saw," he said. "We would have been here sooner but we were ambushed by some other rouge ninja on the other side of the bridge. Turns out they were working for Tessi." I nodded and took a shaky breath, my mind still on Suki…

"Naruto," I said as I turned away from the cliff to face him. "I never got to tell her…"

"Tell her what," Naruto asked while cocking his head to the side.

"I never told her that I loved her," I whispered, my hand clenching my chest. "Now I'll never get to tell her…"

"God Damn it," came a shout from behind Naruto and I. "Will you put me down before I kill you?!" My heart skipped a beat as I whirled around and saw Suki in the arms of none other than Neji. "Suki," I whispered as Neji put her down hesitantly. "Suki!"

Suki turned and smiled at me as I ran towards her. "Thank God," I said once I reached her and pulled her in for a tight hug. "I thought…I thought…" Suki's arms wrapped around me as she held me as close as she could. "So did I," she whispered. "I had no idea Shino's beetles wouldn't be there."

"They were," Shino said as he walked over to Suki and me. "Neji must have scared them off when he came in to save the day."

"Suki's lucky I did," Neji shouted as he ripped Suki from my grasp. "She could have died if I hadn't!"

"I was completely fine," Suki hissed while pushing away her ex. "I would have been completely fine if you hadn't come along and screwed everything up!"

"I saved your life Suki," Neji shouted as she stomped away from him. Suki turned to glare at him as Naruto held Hinata's hand and I watched the argument while the rest started to gather everything together. "Why don't you trust me Neji," Suki whispered as she continued to glare at him. "You keep thinking that I'm some sort of damsel in distress when really I can take care of myself."

"I never said you were," Neji said angrily. "It's just that you do things without thinking them through! You jump in at the worst possible moment and end up getting hurt. You worry me half to death with all the stupid stunts you've pulled ever since you were a little girl!"

"Oh so now I'm stupid," Suki shouted back at him. Neji's fists clenched as he took a deep breath. "Looks like this could go on for a while," Naruto said as he and Hinata stood next to me. "It's kinda sad really."

"I never said that," Neji yelled back. "Hinata, did I ever once call Suki stupid?!" Hinata's eyes widened and she looked like she was shaking. It was like putting a mouse in front of a lion… "I…I…" Hinata stammered. "W-well that is…i-it's possible that S-Suki misinterpreted what you were saying…"

"See," Neji said. "Even Hinata agrees with me."

"She never said that," Suki hissed. "Like she would agree with you…"

"She does," he continued as Hinata turned red. "She even agreed that your leaving was a childish thing to do and she also agreed with me on our last argument."

"That's it," Hinata shouted, her stammer forgotten as the meek mouse went in for the attack. "Stop using me as a buffer Neji! I'm sick and tired of being used whenever you two argue! I always try to find a common ground with each of you because I love you both, but this is ridiculous! I'm sorry Neji but this time I'm siding with Suki."

"Hinata," Neji said in a low voice. "You promised you would help me…"

"I'm sorry Neji," Hinata said while folding her arms. "But I've decided that I'm not going to meddle anymore." Neji stomped towards his cousin and lowered his voice so that only Naruto, Hinata, and I could hear. "Didn't you say that Suki and I should be together again Hinata? Didn't you say it was because we belonged together with one another?"

"I've realized I was wrong Neji," Hinata answered. "I think someone else is much more suited for Suki and I know that he loves her…perhaps even more than you do." I felt myself blush at Hinata's words as Neji turned to glare at me. I was sure he suspected me as the one that loved Suki but he wasn't so sure yet. The problem was that he wasn't wrong…

"Can we get a move on now," Kiba shouted to all of us while putting the two kids on top of Akamaru. "Or are we going to wait for more rouges to show up?"

"Always a ray of sunshine, aren't you Kiba," Shino muttered as everyone started to move out. I looked over at Suki and she gave me a slight smile before walking over to Kiba and Shino. At least, for now, she was alright…


	27. Chapter 27

Suki's POV

"Lord Hanzo Hatori," said the herald as Gaara and I walked into a large room with Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Neji behind us. "The Kazekage has arrived." A man in his mid to late thirties was sitting on a few cushions with a woman in her mid twenties sitting slightly behind him to the right; wouldn't surprise me if she was his concubine or something like that. Heck it even looked like the two may have been kissing one another because his hand was still underneath her chin and she was blushing.

"I see," Lord Hanzo said while looking at Gaara with dark grey eyes. "It's nice to see you again, Lord Kazekage." Gaara and the rest of us bowed to him out of respect before kneeling on the ground. "It is nice to see you again as well," Gaara answered while staring back at Lord Hanzo. I had to say that this lord was a bit more unnerving than the last. He looked like he was tall, and his long black hair framed his cold yet handsome features quite nicely.

"I trust you and Lady Usagi are well," Gaara continued.

"We are," the woman answered. "Thank you for asking…"

"THAT'S HIS WIFE," cried Naruto. I fought back the urge to laugh as Gaara closed his eyes and sighed deeply. I'm sure Hinata had one of her hands over her eyes while Shino reacted the same as Gaara had. Kiba of course had his mouth open. "I'm very sorry about my friend," Gaara said just as Lady Usagi started to laugh and Lord Hanzo just smiled. "I get that a lot," Lady Usagi said. "I'm twelve years younger than my husband, but we love each other dearly."

"I had heard from Lord Kei by messenger bird that you have found a bride yourself Lord Kazekage," Lord Hanzo said. "Is this she?" I blushed as Gaara took my hand and nodded. "This is my fiancé Suki Nara," he said. I could feel Neji's eyes burning holes into the back of Gaara's head and I heard his teeth grind together. "The two of you are close I take it," Gaara asked, keeping his eyes on Lord Hanzo. Lord Hanzo smiled warmly.

"I wouldn't say that we were close, but he did tell me you were coming," he answered. "We do get along, although due to recent events we haven't been getting along as well as we used too."

"My friends and I have put an end to that actually," Gaara answered. "We have confirmed the culprit and will be notifying Lord Kusanagi who it is."

"I was wondering Lord Kazekage," Lord Hanzo said. "My suspicions were with Lord Tessi. Am I correct in assuming so?"

"Why did you suspect him," asked Gaara.

"I never really liked the man," Lord Hanzo answered. "Always drinking and flirting with every woman that caught his eye; even my wife was accosted by that man." I nodded slowly, understanding how he felt. I had been attacked by Tessi as well but Gaara had come to my rescue just in time…

"Mommy, mommy," screamed three young girls as they ran into the room closely followed by a little boy; all of them in pajamas. "The wolf is gonna get us!" Lady Usagi smiled as she stood up and walked to her children. "Rascals," she said with a smile. "Hasn't your father told you not to disturb him while he's in conference? Besides, what are all of you doing out of bed?" Lord Hanzo smiled as he lifted the boy, who looked no older than two, into his arms. "Dada," the boy said with a huge smile.

"I'm sorry for the interruption," Lord Hanzo said as he stood with his son in his arms. "I wasn't expecting you to meet the entire Hatori clan tonight, but here they are." I smiled as the youngest girl walked away from Lady Usagi and looked at Gaara. "Funny hat," she laughed while pointing at Gaara's Kazekage hat. Gaara looked at her with wide eyes as she continued to laugh before climbing into his lap. I giggled as she pulled it off Gaara's head and placed it on her own.

Gaara looked at me, as if to ask what to do in this sort of situation. I smiled at him and I could see a slight smile coming from him as he squeezed my hand a little. My heart skipped a beat as I realized I was being drawn into his eyes, only to be pulled out by the sound of padded feet on wood.

Looking over at the side door I saw the one and only Shiranui, her tail wagging a mile a minute as she ran towards me. I braced for impact only to have her leap over me and knock over Naruto. "Oi," Naruto said as she continued to lick every part of his face. "Gerroff will ya? You're heavy…" Shiranui barked and jumped off Naruto only to continue with her affectionate licking when he sat back up. "Well," Kiba said. "Looks like Naruto's been thrown to the wolves, wouldn't you say so Shino?"

"I'm laughing on the inside Kiba," Shino said while folding his arms.

"Wait," I said. "The only reason Shiranui would be here is if…"

"Well look at this," Shiranna said while she leaned against the doorway. "And here I thought you ran a tight shift here Hanzo." Lord Hanzo let out an aggravated sigh as he looked at her. "My home only becomes this disheveled only when you visit Shiranna," he said while his other two daughters ran towards her.

"Auntie," the oldest said; she looked about eight years old. "Are you still staying the night?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Lord Hanzo said.

"Oh," Lady Usagi said while folding her arms. "You always pick a fight when Shiranna visits…"

"Wait a minute," Naruto shouted while jumping up and rushing over to Shiranna. "Don't tell me I've got family that you never told me about!"

"They call her that because she's like a sister to Lady Usagi," Kakashi said as he appeared behind Shiranna. I sighed. "When there's one there's the other," I muttered. Lord Hanzo handed his son to his wife before turning to face Kakashi. "I'll never understand why either," he said.

"It's a mystery to me why you don't like her," Kakashi said while shrugging his shoulders. "Your wife and Shiranna not only look almost exactly alike but they act alike as well." I took a look at Shiranna and then back at Lady Usagi. It was true! The two had the same hair, eyes, height, and even body structure. Apart from the difference in the clothes they wore, the two could pass off as twins.

"I'm not a baby breading machine," Shiranna said while folding her arms and looking at Kakashi. Lady Usagi scoffed. "You would be if the two of you were married to one another," she said. "Probably worse; seeing as how you two can't seem to keep your hands off one another."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Shiranna said with a laugh. Boy, these two really were alike…

"How did you guys meet anyway," Kiba interrupted.

"That's a very long story," Lord Hanzo said. He seemed to shutter at the thought. "The short version is that I posed as Lady Usagi's double about ten years back. She was going to meet her first fiancé and they felt it was dangerous since her people were feuding with his very badly," Shiranna answered.

"First fiancé," Naruto questioned.

"Yes," Lady Usagi said. "His name was Kei Kusanagi, but he wasn't a lord just yet. The problem was that I didn't know him and after getting to know Shiranna, I explained to her that I didn't want to marry him because I loved Hanzo."

"So I sort of fixed it up so these two could get married and pretended to be Usagi for a little while until I found out Kusanagi loved someone else. His father wasn't extremely pleased but he accepted the explanation and gave him his blessing," Shiranna continued.

"What about Lady Usagi's father," I asked. "He must have been upset by it."

"Actually, my father was very understanding," Lady Usagi answered. "He trusted Hanzo very deeply and knew I would be in good hands."

"Did I ever tell you he told me that if you had been ten years older he would have engaged you to me," Lord Hanzo said with a smile. Lady Usagi smiled up at her husband and shook her head. "You might have," she said. "But I still like hearing it." Lord Hanzo smiled and wrapped his hands around his wife before kissing her forehead. It was sort of nice to see two people that loved each other unconditionally…

"Suki," Gaara whispered. "I think I'm going to need help getting my hat back…" I looked over at him and down into his lap where the little girl had curled up and fell asleep. She was sucking her thumb while cuddling with the draping cloth attached to Gaara's Kazekage hat. "She's very cute," I said.

"It kinda is an adorable sight," Gaara said while looking down at the girl. "But I don't really understand young children…" I shrugged. "I don't think it's something you've had much experience with Gaara," I said. "Kuronai Sensei used to have us babysit kids when we first became ninja. Now those are some missions I wish I could forget…"

"Remember that kid that always used to chase you around Suki," Kiba said with a laugh. "You know, the one that found out you were afraid of clowns and chased you around with a clown doll he had?"

"Thanks for the reminder Kiba," I said angrily. "I was hoping to sleep peacefully tonight but thanks to you I'm sure I'm going to have recurring nightmares!"

"Glad I could help," Kiba said with a smile. I glared at him as Gaara let out a little chuckle. "Did that really happen to you Suki," he asked. I nodded with a small sigh. Boy did I wish I could forget about those days. Even Shikamaru was rolling on the ground laughing when he found out about the torture I went through with that little demon kid. He certainly is a helpful brother when you need him…still, I guess I could say I learned to run faster and hide better cause of that kid.

"Everyone must be tired after their long journey," Lord Hanzo said. "It is getting late, so I suggest we all get a good nights rest and talk some more at breakfast. Lord Kazekage, you and your fiancé will be staying in the second room down the hall and to the right. I can have a servant show you if you wish?"

"No," Gaara said while cradling the little girl in his arms and standing up. "I believe we will be able to find our way."

"As you wish," Lord Hanzo said. "I believe your nephew and two of his friends can stay in the third room down the hall and to the left Shiranna. The one up the hall and to the left is free as well."

"Okay," Shiranna said. "Naruto, you, Kiba, and Shino can take the third room down the hall and Neji and Hinata can stay in the one up the hall."

"Why can't I spend the night with Hinata," Naruto asked. Shiranna folded her arms and gave him an 'I'm-not-that-stupid,' look while I'm sure Neji was dreaming of ways to kill Naruto for even suggesting the idea of him sharing a room with his beloved cousin. No, Neji was going to protect Hinata's chastity; although I knew she and Naruto had already been together since she told me in the strictest confidence.

"Gaara," Shiranna said while she turned to go. "I can bring you to the kids' room and show you where you can put her." Gaara nodded as everyone piled out of the room and walked to their individual rooms. Naruto snuck a quick kiss from Hinata before zooming off to his appointed quarters with Neji at his heels.

I shook my head and headed to my room. It was very nice; it had a large bed in the center with a mound of pillows, a dresser made from wood, a nightstand, and even a desk with parchment on it in case you wished to write someone. The bags Gaara and I had were already on the bed and I wanted to throw mine across the room when I opened it. I hated Kankuro for putting sexy teddies in my bag…the only clean one left was the worst of all and there was no way I was going to put that on! Maybe the one I had worn at the hotel…the red one with the black lacy edging. Gaara seemed to like that one the most; I mean come on, he tented up faster than a boy scout. I wonder how big he was…

_Hold the phone_, I thought to myself with a blush. _What did I just think?!_ Oh God I wish I was dead…"Suki," came a voice at the doorway. "Can I come in?" Quickly I closed my bag and turned around to face Neji. "What is it," I asked, trying to hide the blush on my face.

"I…I just want to talk," he whispered. "I don't want us to fight or anything like that, just talk about what happened earlier." I nodded as Neji walked in. Sitting on the bed, I looked at him and waved my hand to tell him to continue. "Look," Neji said while starting to pace up and down. "I need to know one thing before I start talking here, but are you and Gaara really engaged?" I folded my arms and sighed before shaking my head. "No," I whispered. "It's just a front."

"Okay," Neji said while nodding. "Good…that's good. I'm sorry I came rushing in to save you today. I just didn't agree with the fact that you'd be working with Gaara and the thought that you weren't coming home was upsetting. I also got jealous because I started thinking of you with him, alone on a cold night with only each other…I mean who knows where that would lead and I wanted to prevent it as much as I could."

"I'll accept your apology Neji," I said as he knelt down in front of me and cupped my face in his hands. "But is there a point to all this? I mean, it looks like you want to say more than just that."

"Yeah," Neji whispered. "I just…I love you Suki and I miss you a lot."

"I know," I said.

"That's not all," Neji continued. "I know I said we should wait but…I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I already have my Uncle's blessing."

"What are you doing Neji," I asked with wide eyes. Neji looked at me and gave me a small, sad smile. "Suki Nara," he said. "Will you marry me?"

"Eh," I squeaked before Neji pulled me in for a soft kiss. My mind was whirling a mile a minute and all I could do was just sit there wide eyed at his proposal. That was when my body started to react to my minds absence. No, it said. I don't want this…this isn't the person I love. I wanted Gaara; I loved Gaara.

Pushing Neji away I shook my head. "I'm sorry Neji," I whispered. "But…I'm not…I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't love you any more," I said simply. I felt so bad as Neji looked at me with shock. "You…what?"

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I know that I did once, but it's really over now Neji. I don't know when I finally realized it but I just don't. You'll find someone better than me one day Neji…I know you will."

"Yeah," Neji said while standing up slowly. "Well…that wasn't the answer I was expecting…can I ask what made you stop loving me?"

"It's because you don't know the real me," I whispered. "You never did…" Neji sighed and shook his head. He walked towards the door and before he opened it he turned to look at me again. "Is there someone else Suki," he asked. "I'm just curious." I looked at him with a blush as I started to play around a little with the fake engagement ring Gaara had given me. "I believe I may be falling in love with someone else, yes," I said. Neji didn't say another word as he stomped out of the room. "Oh God," I said while lying down on the bed, my hands over my face. "Why did he have to do that?"

"Are you alright Suki," came a voice. I looked over to see Gaara in the doorway. I felt myself blush as I sat up quickly and nodded. "Yeah," I said. "I'm fine." Gaara nodded and sat next to me. "Actually," he said. "I think you're pretty brave. I wouldn't have been fine after a conversation like that."

"You heard it huh," I asked while looking over at Gaara. He nodded. "I wasn't eavesdropping, but I didn't want to disturb you in case you two were getting back together."

"No," I said while shaking my head. "It's over between us, Gaara."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "You two had a long and happy relationship." I gave Gaara a sort of soft smile before looking away. "Well," I whispered. "It wasn't always happy…what part of our conversation did you come in on?"

"Well I was about to walk in when I saw you two kissing," Gaara answered with a blush. "I thought you two had made up and I was going to leave but I heard him ask you 'why not,'."

"The reason he was kissing me was because he asked me to marry him." Gaara's eyes widened as he looked at me. "He did," he asked. I nodded. "I'm sorry that happened then," he said. "It must have been very unexpected for you."

"Unexpected isn't quite the word," I said with a laugh. "It was more like terrifying, but my reasoning was true." Gaara nodded. "So you really aren't in love with him anymore are you," he asked.

"No."

"Was it true when you said you believed you were falling in love with someone else?" I blushed about ten shads of red and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yes," I whispered. I couldn't look Gaara in the eye because I knew that if I did, I would shout out that I was in love with him. I couldn't do that to him though. It would put him on the spot and it wouldn't be fair; especially since I just ended it for good with Neji. He'd probably think I was on the rebound or something…

"Suki," Gaara said while taking my hand. "I…" He paused for a bit and I looked over at him. "What is it," I asked. Gaara released my hand and stood up, his back now to me. "I think it's time we got some rest. We'll be going back to Suna in the morning."

"Oh," I mumbled.

"I'm going to go get changed," Gaara said. He grabbed his things from his bag and walked towards the door without looking at me once. "Okay," I said as he left the room. I sighed again and decided I may as well change and get some sleep as well.

Gaara's POV

After putting the sweet little girl to bed, I walked towards the room I was sharing with Suki. I had to admit there was a certain bounce in my step knowing that Neji knew I was sleeping in the same room as Suki; hell he knew I was sleeping in the same _bed_ as her. I knew it wasn't right to feel this way about knowing you were making someone jealous, but damn did it feel so good!

Now he had an idea about the torment I went through while he was with Suki. Heck I almost ran to Kohona Village when she wrote to me and said that she was moving in with the guy…I actually started packing to leave when Kankuro caught me and had to tie me to a chair with chakra strings just to make me listen to reason; but now Neji was going to be tied to a chair by Hinata so he wouldn't come rushing in to blow our cover. Then again, Hinata wasn't the sort of person to do something like that. She could ask Naruto and the others to though and I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping her out.

The good mood I was in vanished when I opened the door a crack to our room and caught Neji kissing Suki. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach knowing that the two must have gotten back together. Leaning on the wall next to the doorframe, I wondered whether or not I should go in. Should I just ask Naruto to spend the night with Hinata since Neji and Suki were going to be busy as well? It wasn't like she would wonder where I had gotten to since she was in the middle of something. Just as I was about to walk to Naruto's room, I heard Suki whisper something.

"Why not," asked Neji. I stood stock still against the cold stone wall wondering what they were talking about. "Because I don't love you any more," said Suki. My heart leapt from my chest when I heard her say that. If it was true then maybe, just maybe I should tell her how I felt. The chance was slim to none that she cared about me in that way, but I needed to tell her.

"You…what," came Neji's voice.

"I'm sorry," Suki said. "I know that I did once, but it's really over now Neji. I don't know when I finally realized it but I just don't. You'll find someone better than me one day Neji…I know you will."

"Yeah," Neji said, obviously in shock. "Well…that wasn't the answer I was expecting…can I ask what made you stop loving me?"

"It's because you don't know the real me," Suki whispered. "You never did…" I heard Neji sigh as he walked towards the door. I stopped breathing just as he was about to open the door more. "Is there someone else Suki," he asked. "I'm just curious." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Now wasn't really the time for him to ask that, I'm sure she wasn't really interested in anyone right now. The slight chance that she did meant that I was more than likely doomed.

"I believe I may be falling in love with someone else, yes," came Suki's answer. Oh God, I thought, please tell me she's only saying that to spite him.

Neji didn't say anything as he left the room. I could tell he was angry, and once he spotted me standing out in the hallway he turned it on me. "You," he hissed in a low voice while pinning me against the wall, his byakugan blazing. "This is your fault…if it hadn't been for you she wouldn't be like this…"

"I didn't do anything to her," I muttered as small particles of dirt flew dangerously around him. "All I ever did was love her; although it's not like she knows that."

"If what I think is going on between you two is correct," Neji whispered, his glare intensifying. "Then you better take good care of her. Because if you don't I'll kill you; whether or not you're the Kazekage." Neji pulled away and stamped down the hall to his room.

Brushing off this encounter, I walked into the room to find Suki lying on the bed, her hands over her face. "Are you alright Suki," I asked. She shot up and looked at me with a blush before nodding. "Yeah," she said. "I'm fine." I nodded and sat next to her. "Actually," I said. "I think you're pretty brave. I wouldn't have been fine after a conversation like that."

"You heard it huh," she asked while looking over at me. I nodded. "I wasn't eavesdropping, but I didn't want to disturb you in case you two were getting back together."

"No," she said while shaking her head. "It's over between us, Gaara."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "You two had a long and happy relationship." Suki gave me a sort of soft smile before looking away. "Well," she whispered. "It wasn't always happy…what part of our conversation did you come in on?"

"Well I was about to walk in when I saw you two kissing," I answered with a blush. "I thought you two had made up and I was going to leave but I heard him ask you 'why not,'."

"The reason he was kissing me was because he asked me to marry him." My eyes widened as I looked at her. "He did," I asked. Suki nodded as I felt myself grow angry at Neji for doing something like that. I may not be experienced in relationships but I did know that if you wanted to fix things with someone and get back together with them then marriage is out of the question.

"I'm sorry that happened then," I said. "It must have been very unexpected for you."

"Unexpected isn't quite the word," she said with a laugh. "It was more like terrifying, but my reasoning was true." I nodded. "So you really aren't in love with him anymore are you," I asked.

"No."

"Was it true when you said you believed you were falling in love with someone else?" I couldn't stop myself from asking the question. I needed to know whether or not she was telling the truth. "Yes," she whispered. I felt my heart beat rapidly. Suki wasn't looking at me right now and that was probably a good thing. I was blushing again and I didn't need her wondering why I was. I couldn't just come out with 'because I love you', now could I?

Maybe I could…I needed Suki to know that I loved her, that I wanted her with me. Having her this close to me was intoxicating; I felt myself wanting to hold her, to kiss her softly and tell her she meant the world to me. She deserved to know how I felt about her didn't she?

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I took Suki's hand in mine and looked at her. "Suki," I whispered. "I…" My voice failed me at that moment. I couldn't utter another word…it was like I was frozen. What if she rejected me and never wanted to see me again? What if she laughed in my face?

"What is it," she asked. I let go of her hand and stood, not daring to face her. My courage failed me and I felt like melting into the floor. "I think it's time we got some rest. We'll be going back to Suna in the morning," I said

"Oh," she mumbled.

"I'm going to go get changed," I said while grabbing some things from my bag and walking to the nearest bathroom. "I'm such an idiot," I muttered while leaning against the sink. "I can't do it now, but I know I have to tell her. I'll do it once we get back to Suna. That way if she does reject me we won't have to go home in an awkward situation…"

I took a deep breath and started to change. _Yeah,_ I thought to myself._ That way when she rejects me she can just up and leave; never to return._ Maybe I should just leave things the way they are now. Then again, not telling her really was eating away at me. It was like I was keeping a dirty little secret from her.

Grabbing the clothes I had worn today, I walked out of the bathroom and back to the room I was sharing with Suki. Once I walked in, I realized that she was wearing that lingerie piece that Kankuro had placed in her bag. She was sleeping above the covers, obviously too weary to even get underneath them. It was understandable though, considering all that we had been through today; although, she suffered a great deal more than any of us out there today. I wondered how she felt about it.

I stretched a bit and got in next to Suki, sitting as close as I could to her. "Goodnight Suki," I whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek. Laying down, I put may arm around her so I could be as close as possible to her. Suki let out a small sigh and rolled over to face me, still sleeping. She curled up and placed head on my chest while one of her arms was laid across my waist. Her warm breath tickled my chest and I felt myself smile. This would probably be the last time she and I slept in the same room as one another. I knew I was going to miss this, but at this moment I felt pure bliss. Just knowing she was in my arms right now gave me comfort and made me the happiest man alive. After a few moments, I felt myself drift off to sleep.

"_Gaara," a sweet voice whispered in my ear. "Open your eyes…" Slowly I did so and found myself lying on my bed at home with Suki laying next to me; still wearing that sexy red teddy. "I must be dreaming," I murmured as Suki placed a sweet kiss upon my lips. She smiled at me and sat up. "Wha," I said as she swung one leg over my stomach and straddled me. "What are you doing?"_

"_Do you love me Gaara," Suki whispered while leaning closer to me. I stared slightly open mouthed as her magnificent breasts came in contact with my chest. A blush rose in my cheeks as I decided to turn my attention back to her face, her bewitching eyes pulling me in. "Do you?"_

"_Yes," I said. "Why do you ask?"_

"_I mean it. Do you truly love me?"_

"_Suki," I whispered while placing a hand on her cheek. "You were special to me the moment I met you. I didn't know at the time that I was falling in love; but now I know what it's like. You taught me to love Suki…and I can't even begin to explain how much you mean to me."_

_Tears started to form in Suki's eyes as I pulled her in for an affectionate kiss. She pulled away with a small smile. "I love you so much Gaara," she said. "I didn't know it for the longest time…but now that I do I don't ever want to let you go."_

"_I'm not planning on going anywhere Suki," I whispered. "I want you to stay. My greatest wish is to be with you." Suki's smile became bigger. "I want that too Gaara," she murmured. "I want you…"_

_Suki pulled me in for a passionate kiss that intensified with every second. My arms wrapped around her as she passed her tongue over my lips. I granted her entrance and with her being the more experienced, she took control; not that I minded in the slightest at this moment._

_She explored every inch she could before coaxing my tongue to explore her mouth. It was an elaborate dance of sorts, the taste of her mingling with mine. This felt so good, so addicting…Suki was delicious! Her mouth tasted like a mix of cinnamon and sugar, making me wonder what else there was. I wanted to know what her skin tasted like and how it would feel to have one of her wonderful breasts inside my mouth._

_My hands lowered slowly as our intimate kiss continued, passion flowing through us like electricity. Suki let out a surprised squeak once I grabbed hold of her behind. She broke the kiss and started to slowly kiss and nibble down my neck to my chest. I let out a surprised cry when she nipped my left pectoral a little too harshly. "Suki," I groaned as she soothed the bite with her tongue._

_Her hands were placed on my hips as she made her way down my chest to my lower abdomen. Using her teeth, Suki pulled down my pants, making my aching member spring free from its cage. She continued to tease me by nipping at my hips and licking at my belly button. "Stop Suki," I whispered breathlessly. "I don't know how much more I can take."_

_Suki propped herself up a bit with a gleam in her eye that made me a little frightened at what she may do next. It wasn't long before her warm breath tickled my exposed friend and I looked at her wide eyed. I had never had this done to me before and although a part of me wanted to know what it felt like, most of me was scared. "Suki I…oh God," I moaned as she licked the already weeping tip teasingly._

_She took that as the go ahead and pulled my entire length into her mouth. My breathing became heavy and I was moaning like a little girl as she sucked. The euphoria that was sent through me by her menstruations I had never before experienced. I was loosing control as my hips began to move of their own accord._

_Suki pinned them down with her hands while continuing to suck me dry. I felt my climax was close and could tell she knew as well, but that didn't stop her from her quest. I screamed her name as my climax was reached, and she drank every drop of my seed, not wasting a bit._

_As I lay there, breathing heavily, Suki crawled up and kissed me, having me taste my own essence. "How was that," she whispered before taking hold of my member and slowly stroking._

"_I…never knew something like that was possible," I said before letting out another moan._

"_Is that a good thing," she asked with a smirk. I closed my eyes and nodded, her hand still moving in an up and down motion, painfully slow. "I want you inside me Gaara," she whispered in my ear. "I want to know what it's like." My eyes sprang open as I looked at her. I didn't know much about pleasing woman; only what I had heard from Kankuro and from what I read. I didn't know if what I would do was right or wrong._

"_I've never…um…that is…well…how do I put it," I mumbled. Suki smiled and nodded. "I understand," she said. "But as long as it's with you Gaara, I'll be happy." Nervously I nodded before she pulled me in for a kiss. I kissed back needily, wanting to taste her again. I pushed her down and straddled her without breaking the kiss._

_Suki let out a low moan as my hands started to fondle her breasts. Unlatching from her mouth, I started to slowly kiss and lightly nip her neck. When I reached her collarbone, I savagely bit down and started to suck, marking her as my own. Suki let out a shouting moan as she bucked up against me. Letting go and sitting up, I slowly lifted the small nightgown off her, revealing her smooth light skin with every inch._

_Once she was free of that piece of fabric I stared at her bare breasts, thinking this was a dream come true. The feel of her warm skin beneath mine was absolutely wonderful. My hand played with her left breast and my mouth suckled at her right. She was soft, softer than I'd ever thought possible. Suki let out another moan as I switched breasts, while my left hand trailed down to her thighs._

_Suki's voice rang in my ears as I started my descent down to her stomach. I sat up and rubbed her thighs with my hands with a small smirk. Suki's breathing was already heavy and she had one arm flung over her eyes. My right hand slowly moved from her outer to inner thigh. "Oh Gaara," she moaned when I pressed one finger inside her._

_Suki seemed to writhe with pleasure as I continued to slowly push in and out of her. "More," she whispered as I added another finger. Her body moved along with my fingers as she continued to let out low moans. "Gaara," she whispered while looking at me. "Please…take me…"_

"_Are you sure," I asked. She nodded as I pulled my fingers out of her. She seemed to whimper at that and I centered myself over her. Suki pulled me in for a quick kiss. "I don't want to hurt you," I murmured. Suki shook her head with a smile. "You won't," she said. "I love you Gaara." I kissed her once more before…_

I woke with a start and felt my heart was beating in my throat. Sweat ran down my brow as I tried to steady my breath. "Gaara," Suki asked sleepily as she sat up from her end of the bed. "Are you okay?" I nodded and looked over at her slowly. "Yeah," I mumbled as the dream from last night came flooding back at me. I blushed and looked away again.

"You sure," she asked. "You look a little flush." I shook my head and got out of the bed only to realize I still had a bit of a hard on. I sat down quickly again and covered it up. I couldn't have her know about it because she would probably tease me and ask who I was dreaming about. I couldn't let it know it was about her.

"Okay now I'm really curious," Suki said while draping her arms over my shoulders and resting her chin on the left one. "You're acting really strange Gaara." I shook my head and took a nervous gulp; dear God…why did she have to press her wonderful body up against my back? It was like asking me to turn around and pin her to the bed. "I'm fine," I said, my voice cracking more than I wanted it to. "Just a little tired is all."

"Well that I believe," Suki said while pulling away from me. "You were tossing and turning so much last night that even I couldn't get much sleep."

"Why don't you get some more rest and I'll go take a shower," I said, hoping the cold water of a shower would make me feel better. Suki nodded with a yawn. "Yeah," she said. "I think that would be a good idea…thanks Gaara." With that said Suki gave me a kiss on the cheek and rolled over onto her other side to get some sleep. I blushed while looking back at her sleeping form.

"Why did you have to be so perfect," I grumbled before finally standing up and going into the bathroom.


	28. Chapter 28

Suki's POV

I woke up in the middle of the night to Gaara moaning. "Gaara," I muttered. "You're moaning in your sleep…" Gaara's arms held me tighter as he let out another moan. I felt something large poke at my thigh as he started to slowly grind against me. Oh no…

"Gaara," I muttered a little louder. "You're dreaming."

"Suri," he moaned in a low voice.

"Eh," I said, thinking he had said 'Suki'. Was…was Gaara having a dream about me? I mean…one of _those_ kinds of dreams about me? I had to be out of my mind! There was no way Gaara would have a dream about me in that sense. Would he?

Gaara moaned again as his hips moved against mine. "Ga-ooh…" I found myself groaning at the sensation of him pressing up against my lower abdomen. Gaara was no small fry…he was pretty big from what I could feel…maybe even bigger than Neji. I blushed when I thought of all the ways I used to wake Neji up from this kind of dream. Then again, that was when we dated. Although it always left Neji in a happy mood. He said I was like a well kept sex machine, ready to go at any time; yet there was no way I could do something like that to Gaara.

Gaara let out a groan and continued to move his hips against mine. I bit my lower lip to keep myself from crying out. To put it lightly, this situation was awkward. "Look," I muttered while trying to push him away. "Hell yeah I'd tap that, but not like this…I want you to tell me you love me first…"

Like that would happen. Gaara wasn't interested in me, but I still told myself that I would tell him how I felt. The reason being that I realized he should know, but not now. Not until we got back to the Sand Village would I tell him I loved him. Then he would tell me to get lost and that I was crazy to think that he may even be the slightest bit interested in me. I never really thought positive in these moments now did I?

"Suri," Gaara moaned while bucking his hips. "Suri…"

I froze in place as a wave of shock hit me. I was stupid to think that Gaara was having a dream about me. He was talking about Matsuri… that's what he meant by 'Suri'. He wasn't saying Suki…

My heart felt as though it had taken a dive off that cliff I was thrown over earlier today only this time without a safety net. The fragile pieces I had just started to put back together were broken again, only this time they had been ground into a fine sand. My throat choked as tears welled up in my eyes. Gaara's heart, I thought, belongs to a young girl in the Sand Village.

I rolled over, still in Gaara's tight grip. How could he hold me like this and dream of another woman? That was easy to answer…because she was the one he always thought of while we were on this stupid mission. It would have been better if Matsuri had gone on this mission with him. She could have done a better job than I did and I'm sure she wouldn't have gotten caught as a ninja by the rouges.

Still…it hurt. It hurt to know that the one I loved so desperately loved another. It was the worst feeling ever. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry my eyes out. Tears started to fall as I took a deep breath. Knowing the person you love doesn't love you in that way is deafening. My heart was heavier than it had ever been before, yet I hoped he was happy.

Why shouldn't he be happy? Gaara had found someone who loved him for who he was. Someone that he held tight, someone who could make him smile; someone that he could feel happy with. The bottom line was that Matsuri made Gaara happy and I couldn't interfere with that. If I told Gaara my feelings then it might confuse him. I couldn't do that to him.

Yet the thought of her being in his arms, kissing his lips…it was too much for me to bear! Why couldn't I have realized my feelings for Gaara earlier? I mean, when I first met him I felt he was different. Although, he thought of himself as a monster at the time; still, I was able to open his heart by showing him friendship.

Back then, that was all I thought I wanted but I guess it was more than that. When I first looked into his eyes I felt weak. I had thought it was because he looked so cold and frightening, but it wasn't really that was it? I was so naïve and young. To think that that boy would steal my heart was unthinkable back then. You would think that the first time Gaara and I kissed would make me realize how much I loved him…but it didn't.

I didn't realize anything, and now it was too late. It was too late for me to confess my feelings. I had waited too long. It hurt so much to know that. The tears were now like rivers flowing down my cheeks as I continued to cry.

"Gaara," I whispered in a shaky voice. "I love you…so much." Gaara let out another groan as he pulled me closer. My breathing was raspy now and I could feel the tear stains on my pillow pooling around my cheek. There was nothing I could do, nothing I could say to Gaara to make him understand. After crying some more, I fell back asleep.

I woke up later on to Gaara shooting up from the bed. "Gaara," I asked while sitting up. "Are you okay?" He looked at me and blushed a bit before looking away. "Yeah," he said.

"Are you sure," I asked. "You look a little flush." Gaara nodded and got up quickly only to sit down and cover himself up. I smirked to myself as I remembered the dream he was having last night. Perhaps he was still having some problems?

"Okay, now I'm really curious," I said while pressing my body against his and draping my arms over his shoulders. "You're acting really strange Gaara."

Gaara froze beneath my touch and I knew that he was still having troubles. "I'm fine," he said, his voice a little strained. "Just a little tired is all."

"Well that I believe," I said while leaning away from him. It was a very active dream from what I could tell…although I had to say that I was jealous of Matsuri. "You were tossing and turning so much last night that even I couldn't get much sleep."

"Why don't you get some more rest and I'll go take a shower," he said. Yeah, I thought. A cold shower right? "Yeah," I said while lying down again. "I think that would be a good idea…thanks Gaara." I heard him grumbling about something as he walked to the nearest bathroom. I sighed heavily while rolling away from the door, only to have something panting above my head. "Well good morning to you too Shiranui," I grumbled while looking at the big wolf. She barked happily and looked over at the little girl next to her. "Hi," I said while sitting up. "What's your name?"

"Risa," she mumbled. I smiled at her and realized this was the little girl that had fallen asleep in Gaara's lap. "What are you doing in here," I asked while lifting her up onto the bed.

"Kazekage," she mumbled while handing me the hat that was on her head. I laughed a little. "Did you sleep with that on," I asked. She shook her head. "No," she said. "Kazekage leave it on table in my room."

"I see," I said with a nod. "And you wanted to make sure he got it back right?" The little girl nodded with a smile and I smiled back. "Well that's very nice of you," I said. "But Gaara's not here right now. He's taking a shower. I'm sure you can give him his hat when he's done."

"Okay," Risa said, her smile growing bigger. I had to admit, she was adorable. I smiled back at her and she giggled. "Do you like the Kazekage," she asked. I blushed a bit and nodded. "Yes," I said. "I like him very much. Why do you ask?" She shrugged and looked down. "Just wondered," she said. "He seems nice…"

"Do you like him too," I asked with a smile. She nodded and I laughed a little. She couldn't have been any more than four, but she was able to understand who was kind and who wasn't. Risa was a smart little girl from what I could tell. "Do you live with him," she asked.

"Well," I said. "I happen to live with him right now…"

"Are you two married," she asked.

"Not yet," I said. "We will be soon." Risa nodded as I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I hated lying to kids, even when it was just to keep up appearances. What was worse was that I wished I would marry the person I loved, but that would never happen for me.

"How long have you known the Kazekage," Risa asked.

"Since I was about fourteen," I answered. "I went out to stargaze on my favorite rooftop only to find him there as well. Of course, he wasn't the Kazekage then."

"Was it love at first sight," she asked, hugging the hat close to her body. Risa seemed to be at that age where fairytales were real and life just seemed like an open book. I sighed, wishing I was able to think that way again.

"At the time I hadn't known it," I said, my smile falling a bit. "All I knew was that he was a mysterious person that had just shown up out of no where. He had surprised me so much I fell off the roof."

"What happened," Risa asked; her eyes wide with concern.

"Well, Gaara saved me," I answered. "He used his sand to catch me and bring me back to the rooftop. I thanked him, but all he did was shrug his shoulders. Since I'm such a stubborn person, I kept talking to him until he gave me his name. I would have probably stayed there with him the whole night if it hadn't been for Shikamaru."

"Who's Shikamaru?"

"Shikamaru is my twin brother," I said. "He came looking for me since it was so late and brought me home. I had no idea I would see Gaara the next day at an exam. When I did, we started to talk again. After that we met a few more times around my village and we became pen pals since he lived very far away from me."

"Did he live in the next village," Risa asked. I shook my head. "No," I said. "Gaara lived more than just one village away. It would take a normal person almost a week to get from my village to his."

"So when did you fall in love with him?"

"I found out I loved him the first time I kissed him. We were at a friend's party and he had come to visit the village. That was when I realized my true feelings for him."

"Hey," came a voice from the doorway. "What are you doing in here you little scamp?" Shiranui let out a bark as her owner entered the room. "Morning Shiranna," I said. "Sleep well?"

"Can't say that I didn't," she said with a lewd grin. "Has Risa been in here yakking your ear off?"

"Auntie," Risa said with a pout. Shiranna laughed and picked up the little girl. "Have you been getting along with Suki," she asked. Risa nodded. "She's nice," she answered. "She was telling me how she met the Kazekage."

"Well that was very nice of her," Shiranna said while putting the little girl on the ground. Risa nodded, still clutching the hat Gaara had left in her room. "You should go and meet with your sisters now," she said. "They're all getting dressed."

"Can I take Shiranui with me," she asked.

"Of course you can," Shiranna said. The little girl's smile beamed throughout the room as she and the wolf left the room. "So," Shiranna said while sitting down on the bed. "Still haven't told Gaara you love him yet, huh?" Well this was unexpected…leave it to Shiranna to be blunt as hell.

"No," I whispered while looking at my hands. "Why are you asking this?" She smiled as I fiddled with the fake engagement ring. "Well just by the way you two look at each other," she said. "The way he stares at you while you're not looking; the look on his face is full of longing."

"What do you mean," I asked with a blush. "What are you insinuating?!" Shiranna smiled and shook her head. "It's so obvious that he loves you deeply," she said. "The way he looks at you is the same way Kakashi looks at me. That's why when you went back to the Sand village I told you to go for it. Gaara loves you."

"I-I," I mumbled. I shook my head as I remembered the things he had done last night. There was also the fact that I couldn't be with Gaara because of that stupid prophecy. "He doesn't love me," I said while shaking my head. "Gaara couldn't love me. I know that for a fact." Shiranna looked at me confused. "How do you know this," she asked.

"Because he loves Matsuri," I said.

"Did he tell you this?"

"He didn't have to," I shouted. "He just does!"

"I'm not sure I follow this," Shiranna said. "I know for a fact he has feelings for you."

"No," I said, my voice shaking. "Stop saying that…if he loved me he wouldn't have had that dream about Matsuri last night."

"What sort of dream was it?"

"What kind do you think," I said angrily. "He was groaning her name in his sleep last night; he thought I was her and kept feeling me up in his sleep. Do you have any idea what that's like?" Shiranna let out a low sigh and shook her head. "I don't know what to say," she whispered while looking down. "I was so sure that he loved you." I felt my throat close and my eyes water. "Come here Suki," Shiranna said while opening her arms.

I practically dove into her arms as she held me close. "Hey," she said while wrapping her arms around me comfortingly. "I know what it's like to feel this way. When I saw Kakashi for the first time in a long time he already had a girlfriend."

"So what did you do," I asked with a smirk while whipping my eyes and pulling away from her. "Get rid of her in a fashionable way?" Shiranna smiled and shook her head. "No," she said. "Although I probably should have; thing was that Kakashi and I had been in love with one another when we were teens but due to unforeseen circumstances, we both thought the other was dead. He had tried to move on with his life but when we found out that the other was alive, all the feelings we had for each other back then came rushing back. I hated his girlfriend with a passion since she was an all out bitch but I still wanted him to be happy so I didn't tell him."

"So he broke up with her to be with you," I said.

"Not at first," Shiranna said with a laugh. "I didn't want to ruin the relationship he had with her since I loved him so much. Kakashi was everything to me so I kept my feelings hidden for a long time. Problem was that I couldn't contain them forever. He noticed I had acted strange around him and forced me to tell him what was wrong with me. I finally told him my true feelings and he told me he felt the same way."

"So everything ended up great for you," I said. "It doesn't end up great for everyone."

"What I'm trying to say is that Gaara might think he loves Matsuri," Shiranna said. "He might just love you and not realize it yet." I sighed and shook my head. "The chances of that happening aren't good," I said. "I would rather not have Gaara know about my feelings since I don't want to lose him as a friend."

"I understand that," she said. "But wouldn't it be better to tell him how you feel instead of just burying your feelings?" I nodded slowly as she stood. "It's just too hard," I whispered. "I would have but…I don't know. What if this really isn't love? What if I'm still on the rebound from Neji?"

"Those are good questions," Shiranna said. "I wouldn't be able to answer that though."

"Well," I mumbled. "What does it feel like to be in love with Kakashi?" Shiranna gave me a devious smile. "Coming after my man now huh," she said as I smirked at her. "Anyway, you're asking me what it feels like to be in love; right?" I nodded as she smiled at me kindly. "It's a hard feeling to explain," she murmured. "All I know is that if he were to die, I would never love anyone else. I've already been down that road once and all I ever felt was sorrow. He was all I had ever wanted and being without him was almost too much for me to bear. I felt like killing myself half the time."

"Really?"

"Yup," she said. "Now that I'm with him again I'm happy. When I'm with him, I can't help but smile. When we kiss I feel like I'm melting into the ground while my heart is flying. He makes me happy and that's all I can ask for. As long as he's happy then I'm happy."

"Does he make your heart pound too," I asked. Shiranna nodded with a small smile. "Of course he does," she said. "Everything about him makes me feel good. He makes me feel special; and that's how I know that I love him."

"Is that so," I whispered. I sighed as Shiranna just nodded and looked at me. "Is that how Gaara makes you feel," she asked. I blushed and nodded slowly. It was exactly how I felt about Gaara…everything she said was true.

"Wouldn't it be better if you told the person you love that you love them," Shiranna asked. "Even if you're rejected, it's better for you to tell the person so that you have some closure. It hurts for a while, but it's better then never knowing."

"How do you know that," I asked. "The person you loved loves you back!"

"That still doesn't mean I haven't heard from people with first hand experience," Shiranna said calmly. "I have other friends too you know." I smiled at her and shook my head. "I don't know," I said. "I'm still afraid to do so."

"Well, fear plays a big factor in this," she said. "But fear makes us do crazy things…fear of losing Kakashi was what drove me to tell him that I loved him. He was the dearest thing to me and I didn't want to loose him. Do you want to loose the most precious thing you have?"

"No," I whispered. "I don't but…I can't tell him that I love him; not yet anyway."

"I see," Shiranna said. "Just don't be too stubborn and keep your feelings buried, because sooner or later you'll see him with another girl and you'll become extremely upset. So much so that you'll want to die; trust me, I know from experience." I didn't look at her as she stood up and walked away.

"Gaaagh," I shouted into my pillow. I began beating my fists against it and yelling incoherent words into the pillow. This was really getting to me…I hated being afraid of something because I was usually fearless. I could do just about anything if I put my mind to it but this was just so hard!

Why did it have to be so hard? It should be easy telling someone you know that you love them. It wasn't hard for me to tell Shika that I loved him, or my parents for crying out loud! Heck I even told Hinata I loved her on occasion. Then again, I knew all those people loved me back…I didn't know if Gaara love me back and that was the scariest part; not knowing.

Still…"I can't do it," I whispered. "I'm not brave enough yet."

Gaara's POV

I yawned as I walked towards the bathroom for my shower. Not paying much attention, I crashed into another person and the two of us fell to the ground. "Mornin' Gaara," said a sleepy Naruto. I took in his baggy, half lidded eyes and gathered he had slept worse than I had. He yawned and scratched his stomach just above his black boxer shorts.

"Naruto," I said with a small nod. "You look worse than I do." He stood wearily and almost fell over again. "Didn't sleep last night," he muttered as I stood. "Too much noise…"

"What do you mean," I asked.

"You ever try to sleep in a room between two separate couples getting it on," he said. My eyes widened slightly as he shuddered at the memory. "It's even worse when one of the couples is your former Sensei and your Aunt," Naruto continued. "I was happy imagining that they were in a relationship without sex but apparently that is not the case…"

"That bad," I said. Naruto nodded and placed his hands on my shoulders. "You have no idea," he mumbled. "While the Hattori's engaged in something sensual and loving, the _other _couple went on with what can only be described as something depraved and animalistic…my roommates made it even worse, ya know."

I didn't say anything, just waited for him to continue. "Well the three of us had to share a bed and Shino was twitching with every sound they made," Naruto explained. "While Kiba just grins at us and then has the balls to tell me he wonders what it's like to spend an evening with Shiranna; since he had always thought she was sexy."

"I'd say that that was a very bad night," I said as Naruto bowed his head with a long sigh.

"There were things I heard about Kakashi Sensei I never ever want to hear again," Naruto muttered unhappily as he took his hands off my shoulders.

"And your Aunt?"

"Don't even get me started," Naruto hissed. "The only good thing that has made my day so far is what Hinata just told me."

"What's that," I asked.

"She told me that Suki finally ended things for good with Neji."

"And?"

"Jeez do I have to spell it out for you," Naruto shouted. "Now you can finally tell Suki without having to hold back. Neji's out and you're in!" I frowned and looked away from Naruto. "I don't think that's possible," I whispered. Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at me. "What do you mean," he yelled. "Now's the time; tell Suki you're in love with her!"

"I can't do that," I said while pushing past Naruto.

"Why not," he said.

"Because she told me she thinks she's falling in love with someone else."

"Yeah; YOU!"

I ignored Naruto as I walked into the bathroom. Taking a longer shower than I usually do, I was dressed and ready before I knew it. The whole time I had been thinking about what Naruto had said. Could he be right about this? Was it even possible that Suki loved me as well?

"That would be a big fat no," I muttered while grabbing my clothes and walking out of the bathroom. Why did everyone think it was okay to keep pressuring me? It wasn't enough that I had to deal with these feelings…especially Naruto. I knew he could be pushy about certain things but this wasn't something I particularly wanted him to be pushy about.

"Morning Kazekage-sama," said a cheerful voice. I looked up to see the one and only Copycat Ninja of the Hidden Leaf village. He seemed to grin at me from behind his mask as he continued to lean against the wall, his left foot propped up against it, his hands in his pajama pants pockets. Great…now what was I in for?

"Kakashi-sama," I said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" His smile broadened. "You could call it fate, luck, or just plain good timing," he joked as I looked him up and down. I didn't know Naruto's Sensei very well, so I was still a bit wary around him. I knew he wasn't a threat to me unless he wanted to be, but with his aloof and uncaring personality it was hard to know what he would do or say next.

"Has our Leaf Village Ninja been able to help you with this mission," he asked while folding his arms across his bare chest. I stared at him coldly, wondering if he was talking about everyone's help or trying to get the subject onto Suki. "Everyone has been very helpful," I said.

"I wasn't talking about everyone…I was talking about-"

"Must everyone lecture me about what I should do," I interrupted; my tone very angry. "Why is it every time I speak to one of you, I'm told to tell Suki how I feel. Have you no respect for my feelings?"

"What are you talking about," Kakashi said, his grin no longer there. His only visible eye looked at me with pure confusion and a miniscule amount of anger. "Everyone keeps pressuring me to tell Suki I love her, and if you're about to do the same then get away from me," I said glaring at him.

"First off," Kakashi said while pushing off the wall with a heavy sigh. "I was only asking if Nara was being of any help to you on your mission. The Hokage wouldn't want her to be in the way. Second, I've already been asked by Shiranna _and_ Naruto to get involved but I told them I didn't want to. Third, I don't like to meddle in other peoples affairs unless it's absolutely necessary. Besides, I don't know if you really love her or not and frankly it's none of my business."

I stood there and looked at him blankly. Perhaps I was a bit hasty in assuming that he was going to pressure me into talking with Suki. "I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I shouldn't have come to that conclusion." Kakashi just smiled at me and shook his head. "It's fine," he said. "I probably would have jumped to the same conclusion. Although, I would like to say one thing if I may?"

"What is it," I said sourly. I figured it would be best to have him say it instead of saying no and having him keep talking anyway. "I know it's none of my business, but it's very obvious that you two have feelings for each other," he said.

"So everyone seems to know what I feel is that it," I said.

"Not at all," Kakashi said. "Only you know how you feel. No one else can tell you how to feel." I felt a little taken aback by his words. It was the first time someone had spoken to me like this. "Why do you care so much about what happens between Suki and I," I asked.

"I don't really," Kakashi said with a shrug. "I just know what it's like to feel uncertain about what to do next; especially in a situation like this."

"What do you mean in a situation like this," I said while folding my arms. Kakashi didn't say anything for a moment. He just stared at me with his stoic eye. I felt as though I was supposed to understand what he meant about what he said. "I mean I know what it's like to be afraid to tell someone your true feelings," he said. "The fear of believing they could never feel the same way. You torture yourself with that fear and never knowing how the other person feels makes it even worse."

I tore my gaze from his with a heavy sigh. He was right about one thing though; it was torture. The fear grew within the pit of your stomach and infected you with doubts. Those doubts were the only things keeping me from shouting out my feelings for Suki. I would have told her how I felt much earlier if it weren't for that stupid fear and its doubts.

"So," I asked. "Did you finally tell her?" Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "No," he said. "I held it in for a very long time thinking it was nothing; that it would go away. I went on a mission one day and almost got killed. The thought that I wouldn't see her again made those feelings much stronger. The thought of seeing her again made me get up and go to her place. I was bleeding badly, half dead and yet I made it all the way to the Leaf Village. It was five miles to her place but I made it."

"How did you live," I asked with a small smirk playing on my lips. Kakashi smirked back and shook his head. "She was quite the healer…I collapsed just after she dragged me to her couch and she healed me," he said. "I was sort of surprised to wake up the next morning because the last thought I had was 'now that I'm with her, I can die in peace,'. It was sort of a surreal moment…she had fallen asleep after healing me. I can still see her sleeping frame, kneeling on the ground with her head on my chest. I watched her until she woke up…wondering if it was nothing but a dream. She scolded me horribly about not going straight to a hospital and after a while I wound up kissing her.

"At the time I was seeing another girl, so I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself; I loved her so much. I apologized and just as I was about to leave, she told me that she loved me; in fact she practically shouted it at me. I couldn't believe it when she said it, but I was able to tell her how I felt."

"Let me guess," I said. "The girl you were seeing at the time was Shiranna and the one you love is just a girl you keep on the side."

"As much as most would love to believe that," Kakashi said with a laugh. "It was Shiranna that I was in love with, the one that healed me, the one that told me she loved me. If she hadn't finally told me how she felt I never would have told her I loved her as well."

"What has this got to do with Suki and me," I asked.

"Nothing, its just food for thought," Kakashi answered. "The fact of the matter is that I was too much of a coward to tell Shiranna how much I cared. If she had never told me how she felt we would never have gotten together. The thought of that sort of scares me and at the same time I feel I should have told her how I felt from the beginning. Shiranna had every right to know how I felt and I wasn't man enough to tell her."

I nodded slowly. "Do with this information what you will," he said before walking away. "Like I said before, it's not my place to meddle in your affairs; even if everyone else thinks they should." I felt myself smile softly as he walked away. Perhaps Kakashi wasn't such a bad guy after all.

After walking the rest of the way to the room I shared with Suki, I found her sitting at the desk in our room, writing a letter. I felt my throat grow dry when I realized she was still in that sexy nightie…

"Suki," I said as she jumped into the air. "What are you doing?"

"Gaara," she said while jumping from the chair. "You scared me half to death…" I felt myself smirk a little as I folded my arms. "Aren't you supposed to be a ninja prepared for everything," I asked.

"Oh ha ha," she said sarcastically. "I was just sort of wrapped up in this letter I was writing to the Hokage; the one about Lord Kusanagi's sister Hana. I mean, I know what to say it's just I don't know how to put it in the right words."

"What is it that you're having trouble with," I asked. Suki shrugged and sat down again, folding both her arms and legs. This made the curves of her hips stand out a bit more and the fact that her arms were folded _underneath_ her breasts didn't help matters. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as she flicked her ebony hair back.

"It's just that I don't exactly know if the Hokage will be willing to help out a woman that comes from a good financial background," she said. "I mean, we usually take the hard cases where the village is a last resort but Lady Hana has other options…" I nodded slowly as she looked over at me. "I just feel bad that I told her she had a place to go before really knowing she could go ya know?"

"Well," I said while looking over her shoulder at the letter she had written so far. "I think you're doing the best you can considering that you don't really know Lady Hana. I also believe that the Hokage trusts your judgment just as much as I do." Suki smiled and looked at me with those beautiful honey brown eyes. I felt myself blush a bit when I realized she was so close to me. "Thanks Gaara," she whispered, her breath caressing my lips.

_Just kiss her already you idiot,_ I could hear my siblings say in the back of my head. _She's not with Neji anymore, so what's stopping you now?!_ As I was about to lean in a little closer, the door to our room opened and I jumped back about ten feet.

"Hey Suki," said Neji as he entered the room. "Shiranna just told Naruto that you needed someone to help you with something?" His eyes seemed to widen at the ensemble she was wearing and then he glared at me. "And you heard it from Naruto," Suki asked, as though everything was perfectly natural.

"No," Neji said. "Naruto told Shino who then told me since both were too busy with something else; although with what I can't imagine." Suki gave a sort of half smirk before looking over at Neji, who was currently taking in every curve she had. "Is there something on me," Suki asked while turning her attention back to her letter.

"Yes," Neji said while folding his arms and leaning against the wall. "You're wearing a little too much nothing. I'd prefer if it was all or nothing at all." I glared at him and lifted a blanket off the bed. "It's nothing you haven't seen before," she said as I draped it over her shoulders.

"I would say your plan of seduction wasn't working," Neji countered. "Now what do you need?"

"I was hoping that you would agree to take this letter to the Hokage but if you're going to insinuate things that aren't true then I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Suki said while rolling the letter up. Neji smirked at me and then at Suki. "I'm not insinuating anything," he said. "You're the one walking around like that in front of someone you recently dumped."

"Who said I was doing it for you," Suki said while standing with the letter in one hand. "I need you to deliver this to the Hokage, now will you help me or not?"

"What will I be getting out of it," Neji asked while glaring at her. He wasn't obviously happy with the way things looked right now, and I was almost certain he thought Suki and I had done something together last night…_only in my dreams Neji,_ I thought. _Only in my dreams…_

"If you decide to help me," Suki said while folding her arms. "Then you'll find out you won't just be helping me, but another person. That letter isn't a report on how well I'm doing; it's a simple referral for someone in need. If you decide not to help me then fine, the wellbeing of that other person will not be on my head, but on yours."

"Fine," Neji said angrily while taking the letter from her hands. "But you owe me for this." He stomped out of the room and I turned to look at Suki who sighed heavily. "Considering the fact that both you and Neji aren't exactly on speaking terms, why did you ask him for the favor," I asked. "Aren't there others you could trust with this?"

Suki gave a sort of sad smile as she stared at the doorway. "I would have asked Shiranna and Kakashi, but the two are both off duty and about to go on a very important mission after this," she said. "Shino was busy with his own problems at the moment, and Hinata was trying to calm down Naruto for some reason. That left me with the options of Kiba and Neji."

"What happened with Kiba," I asked as Suki shook her head and looked at me.

"He flat out said no," she answered. "Trust me, I tried every option available. I even thought about waiting to write the letter when we got back to Suna but I realized it was best to write it as soon as possible…"

"I see," I whispered while Suki threw the blanket around her back onto the bed. My eyes started to lock onto her body as she stretched with a yawn. Images of my dream from last night came floating back to my mind and it took every ounce of will power to look away from her again. God this mission couldn't end sooner…I couldn't take seeing her walk around in something so sexy.

"I'm going to go get changed," Suki said. "We've got a long day of traveling ahead of us don't we?"

"Yes," I said, while thanking whatever powers that be that she was changing. I didn't know how much more of this I could take. I was sure that it wouldn't have been long before I just jumped her. The girl was a pure goddess in my opinion…a goddess whose wings I wanted to tear off so that I could keep her all to myself.

Kakashi was right, I found myself thinking. I was torturing myself…I couldn't keep my feelings to myself any longer. I _had_ to tell Suki because it wasn't fair to myself or to her. It was worse not knowing if she did care about me. I doubted that she could even love someone like me but I still had to tell her. I was going to…once the two of us got back to Suna I would tell Suki that I loved her. She more than likely didn't feel the same way but at least I would know.


	29. Chapter 29

Suki's POV (after traveling back to Suna since the author's brain is too lazy to think of anything in between the time it took to get to Suna)

I stretched and let out a small sigh as Gaara opened the door to his house. "Are you tired Suki," Gaara asked. I shook my head slowly and walked in. "Not really," I answered. "Why?"

"I thought that…maybe you would like to go out for something to eat later," he mumbled. I smiled and nodded. "Sure," I said. "Sounds like fun. I'm just going to go unpack okay?" Gaara nodded and walked into the house with me right behind him. He had been acting really funny the whole time we traveled back. He barely talked and didn't even look at me…not that I wanted him to; it would just have been nice to have him make eye contact once in a while instead of obviously ignoring me.

"Maybe it's just me," I mumbled as I made my way to my room and began to unpack.

"Well look who's back," said a voice from the doorway. "Did you have a fun time?" I stiffened and whirled around to face Kankuro, a negligee _he_ had put in my bag in hand. "I could KILL you," I hissed while throwing it at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?! How could you do something like this?"

"Hey," Kankuro said while catching the flimsy nightgown. "It was just a joke…"

"Joke my ass," I shouted. "I was almost taken advantage of!" Kankuro seemed to grin at my out burst. "I wouldn't say it like that if it was going to be consensual," he said. "Come on; with the way you look at each other it's not hard to see that you want each other." I glared at Kankuro and he was lucky I didn't lunge at him.

"I don't want to know what you're thinking," I said. "But just so you know, another man walked into the room while Gaara was out. Since I had no other pajamas to wear I wore one of those THINGS you put in my bag! The man had been drinking and saw me looking like some harlot, so he assumed I was some kind of prostitute and attacked me!"

Kankuro's face went pale and his eyes widened. It seemed he wasn't expecting something like that to happen… "I'm sorry," he whispered while looking down at his feet. "I didn't mean for it to go like that. It's just that I could tell you were lonely and all so I figured Gaara could help you in that sense. He'd do anything for you Suki…"

"You're sick," I muttered while turning back to my unpacking. "Gaara wouldn't do something like that for me, even if I wanted him to."

"He loves you, you know," Kankuro said.

"That's because he's a good friend."

"That's not what I mean." I looked at Kankuro curiously as he walked closer to me. "Gaara loves you more than that," he said. "And somewhere inside you, you know it's true." I felt myself blush and shook my head. "I don't think so," I whispered.

"What a wonderful state of denial you live in," Kankuro shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "The two of you really piss me off! It's sickening, those long lovesick looks he gives you when you're not looking…the way his eyes follow you where ever you go. You're no better either! Your eyes light up every time he enters the room; and if that wasn't enough whenever he looks your way and you notice it, you start swaying your hips more as you walk away. Stop being so afraid of your feelings and just tell one another already!"

At that Kankuro turned and was about to leave, but I just had to open my big fat mouth. "Listen, Mr. Know-It-All," I said angrily. "You're wrong about how I feel! Not only that, but if you were in a similar situation you wouldn't do jack squat!"

Kankuro paused at the doorway and his whole body stiffened. He turned to face me with anger in his eyes. I had never seen him look as angry as he did the entire time I had known him. "You have no idea," he hissed while pointing a finger at me accusingly. "No idea. Yeah, I've been in love with someone before. I didn't chicken out when I decided to tell her, and you know what happened? She laughed. LAUGHED! She thought I was joking or something. I told her I wasn't, and you know what she said to me? That she didn't feel that way about me…that she felt nothing for me, other than friendship. And you know what bugs me? Before I told her she had me thinking she did, led me on like the idiot I was and regardless of all that I still LOVE her! So before you go around telling me I wouldn't do anything in this situation, think again sweetheart! Because I know what rejection is!"

"Kankuro, I…" I whispered as he rushed out of the room. I could tell by the look in his eyes he was hurting. In fact, he looked like he was going to cry. Man, I really should have kept my mouth shut…I felt really bad for bringing it up. But he was right about one thing; I still loved Gaara. I needed to tell him because it hurt. Despite what my rational mind said, my heart ached to here Gaara say whether or not he cared for me in that sense…and if what Kankuro said was true then…

_Suri…_Gaara's moaning voice entered my thoughts again for the millionth time that day. _Suri…_

Tears I had held back came falling out like waterfalls. "Damn it," I whispered while throwing myself face first onto the bed. "You're such a jerk Gaara…" I threw my pillow over my face and cried into it.

It's not that Gaara was really a jerk; I just felt he was since he was dreaming about another girl. _Come on,_ my brain said. _What did you expect? First of all, he never loved you. Second, he's never thought of you as anything else but a friend. Third, you never told him how you felt so how's he supposed to know that something like that would hurt you?_

"Okay," I whispered to myself as the tears subsided. "Okay…I'm good now." I had to admit, after a good cry I felt better…although I still felt this horrible weight in my chest. It felt hard to breath, and it felt as though there was something hanging over me. I didn't know how much more of this I could take…

"Suki," I heard Gaara's voice whisper. "Are you alright?" I nodded while pulling the pillow away from my eyes. He was standing next to the bed and I sat up as he sat down on it. "You look like you've been crying," he whispered. Gaara reached out his hand and wiped away a tear stain with his thumb. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine Gaara," I said, putting on a fake smile. He didn't seem to buy it but he nodded none the less. "Do you want to get something to eat," he asked. "I'm starving."

"Sounds fantastic," I said as Gaara stood.

"Then lets go," he said. "I know the perfect place." I smiled at him as he helped me off the bed. He smiled back and held my hand for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about something deeply, and I became curious. "Gaara," I whispered as he continued to stare at me. "Is there something wrong?"

Gaara snapped out of it and shook his head before letting go of my hand. "It's nothing…let's go." I nodded and followed him back out again. We walked in silence to the place he wanted to go. Once there we were seated and Gaara finally started speaking.

"Suki," he whispered. "I kinda wanted to talk to you about something…"

"Is that what's been bothering you so much," I asked.

"What do you mean," he asked.

"You've been pretty distant all day," I answered. "You didn't speak to me the whole time we walked back to Suna. I thought maybe you were coming down with something…"

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just wanted to talk to you about something but I didn't know how to get around to it."

"What about?"

"I need your advice on something…of a personal nature." I smiled and found myself laughing a little. Gaara seemed to glare at me a little. "Sorry," I said. "It's just I never thought you'd come to _me_ for advice. You always seem to be the one giving me advice…but I'll help if I can."

"Thank you Suki," Gaara said. "I just don't know where to begin…" I shrugged. "Just say what you feel," I said, my smile deepening. Gaara nodded slowly and sighed a little. "I…I," he whispered. "I just have a few questions on a certain subject that you happen to have more experience in then me…"

"What subject is that?"

"Love."

I almost spat out the sip of water that I had just taken. A blush rose to my face as I looked at Gaara, but he was looking down at his hands in his lap. This wasn't exactly what I was expecting from him…I mean, he could talk to his brother and sister about it right? Although Kankuro might not be the best option…

_Maybe he's trying to tell you something,_ my heart said. _Maybe he's telling you he loves you._

_Yeah right,_ my reasoning countered. _If it were you he was talking about, he'd tell you. Gaara is usually pretty blunt about things like this, although it is usually hard to tell how he feels about something._

"What is it you want to know Gaara," I mumbled, finally forming the right words. This could be a tricky conversation. "I want to know how you know you're in love with someone," he whispered. "I'm not talking about the love you feel for a friend either. How can I put this…how did you know you loved Neji?"

I felt my heart take a swan dive into the pit of my stomach. It wasn't that I still felt anything for Neji, it was just the thought of my loving him was sort of hard now that I knew that I no longer loved him. Had I loved him once? I believed that with all my heart, but the love I felt for him wasn't as strong as it could have been.

"Well," I said, swallowing nothing but dry air. "I don't really know when I realized it. I knew I liked him a lot when I was younger but I never told him until I was fourteen. I guess those feelings just grew into love; until the jerk used a shadow clone to cheat on me…" Gaara nodded slowly. "Yes…" he said. "But what did it feel like to be around him?"

"Well now he frankly just pisses me off," I said with a small laugh. "But I think I know what you're trying to get at…still, it's kind of hard to explain." Now that I didn't love Neji, it was hard to imagine what it was like to love someone. _Why not tell Gaara how it feels to be around him,_ my heart said. _At least you have a basic understanding of that! _Oh how I loved the way my feelings were against me…but still…that was the best idea.

I looked into Gaara's beautiful eyes and felt myself melt. Maybe I should tell him how it feels to be around him. It could help me gather the courage to tell him how I feel, and I knew that when Gaara rejected me he would be nice about it. He wasn't the type of person to reject you in a mean way.

"Gaara," I said as strongly as I could. "When I'm around the person I truly love, I feel happy. That person makes me feel alive and always makes me smile. I know that that person will always be there for me and I know in my heart that I can trust him with anything and everything. When he holds me, he makes me feel so safe and warm and I never want him to let go…when he looks at me I feel myself melt on the spot. When he touches me I feel warm and feverish; when we kiss, my heart pounds and even though my body becomes heavy, I feel like I'm soaring. There's really no question about it, I love that person with all my heart Gaara."

"I see," Gaara said. He seemed to be deep in thought about something. Glancing at me, he cleared his throat and then looked away again. "Does someone make you feel that way," I asked. Gaara didn't answer at first, causing my heart to beat faster than it's ever gone before and I felt a little jealous. The one he loved was lucky to have someone like him. Gaara was one of a kind and could never be replaced.

"Sort of," he said while fiddling with the edge of his napkin. "Except when I hold her I feel complete…as though she had been missing from my life and I hadn't even noticed it until she came into my life. It feels like I want to hold her forever; and the few times I've kissed her I feel like I don't want to stop. When she gets hurt, I want to protect her from any and all danger. When she cries, I want to want to wipe away her tears and comfort her. When she's around I feel so content; she's able to calm me and make me feel at ease. Is that what it's like to be in love with someone?"

"That's exactly what love is Gaara," I said with a sad smile. "You're in love with her, and she's very lucky to have your love. Can I ask what she's like?" Gaara smiled slightly with a far off look in his eyes.

"She's…she's one of the few people that treated me like a person instead of a freak when I was younger," he whispered. "She's strong, kind, caring, and considerate. She's also extremely smart…and very free spirited. I like that the most about her. She's always there for me when I need her and has always been a valuable friend. I've held her in high regards for a very long time and I know I can count on her for anything."

"Sounds like you really trust her too," I said.

"Very much."

"Does she know how you feel?"

"No," Gaara said while looking away with a frown. "I haven't been able to tell her yet."

"She's lucky," I said. "Who is she?"

"Another ninja."

"Come on Gaara," I teased. "What's the big secret? I promise I won't tell her so tell me who she is!"

Gaara took a deep breath and sighed before looking me in the eye. "Suki," he whispered. I felt myself blush and my heart pound as I looked into his determined eyes. Had he meant me or was he just saying my name? "Yes," I mumbled.

"I," he began. "I love…I love…" I cocked my head out of curiosity as Gaara wet his lips and looked away. "I'm in love with Matsuri," he said.

Shock took hold of my body and my eyes widened. Something inside me screamed as my heart shattered like glass. I had always guessed that he loved Matsuri but to hear him say it just drove the last nail into the coffin so to speak.

_No,_ a voice inside me shouted. _No! It's not true! It's not right…you said you loved me! You love me Gaara, not her!_

"They were right," I whispered while looking away. "The shadow shall fall for he who can not feel love…"

"What," Gaara asked curiously. He hadn't heard what I said.

"Nothing," I said. "I was just thinking out loud about something…"

_Tell him,_ my heart urged. _Tell him how you feel because if you don't he'll never know how much you love him._

"Gaara I-…" I said while standing up quickly, almost knocking my chair over in the process. I froze when he looked up into my eyes. I couldn't do it…no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't do it because I didn't want to hurt the potential relationship he could have with Matsuri. I may want Gaara to love me back, but most of all I just wanted to see him happy. Even if it meant I wasn't…

"What is it," he asked.

"I have to fill out a report for Tsunade about the mission," I said while looking away. "She would want to know how I'm doing and if I'm doing the best I can. Would you mind if I used one of your messenger birds?"

"That's fine," Gaara answered. "But what about dinner?"

"I'm not really that hungry right now actually," I said. "So don't worry about me." Before Gaara could say anything else I rushed out of the restaurant and into the night. Not knowing what else to do, I started heading for Gaara's house. _I can't stay here anymore,_ I thought. _I have to go. I can't watch Gaara hold another woman in his arms and tell her he loves her. I'm not of any use to him anymore…I should have just gone home with everyone after the Akatsuki attack. Why did I come back in the first place?_

_Because you love him idiot,_ the voice in the back of my mind said. _And you know you'll never stop loving him._

_Yeah,_ I thought. _That's what I thought with Neji and now look where I am._

_Oh yeah, _the voice argued back. _Then why is it even when you were with Neji, you thought of Gaara while you were away on missions? Why is it that Gaara's kisses made you feel weaker than Neji's? You would even dream about having sex with Gaara while Neji was sleeping right next to you! You always knew on some level that Gaara was the one you wanted._

_Forget it, _I shouted back to the voice. I sped up my pace, trying to run away from it, but to no avail.

_Didn't you also promise that Chiio woman that you would tell Gaara you loved him?_

_Not that I remember,_ I thought while entering Gaara's house and rushing to my room to pack. There was no way I could stay here another night. Most of me wanted to stay, but I knew deep down that one day I wouldn't be able to be around Gaara anymore. My feelings for him would become so unbearable I could see myself ruining his relationship with the woman he loves.

_But she did tell you to take good care of him. Don't you think leaving him like this is a little harsh,_ the voice asked while I packed all my things.

"No," I mumbled as tears ran down my cheeks for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "I can't…I can't stand by and watch him with someone else. I love him so much…I want him to be happy even if it's not me who makes him happy." The sheer reality of all this was just starting to sink in and I found myself collapse to the ground out of all the stress.

"Come on," I whispered angrily to myself. "Get up…I can't stay any longer…"

"Suki," came Kankuro's voice from down the hall. "Are you there?" Just as he stepped into the room, I threw a kunai dangerously close to his head. It cut a few strands of brown hair off and embedded itself deeply into the frame of the doorway. Kankuro stood there, frozen to the spot.

"Liar," I shouted while forcing myself to stand. "You lied to me!" Anger fueled my body and gave it strength to move once more. I was able to grab the last of my things and shoved them into the bag I had. I passed by Kankuro and was about to head for the stairway when he seemed to snap out of his daze. "Wait just a minute," he yelled while grabbing my arm and yanking me towards him. "What the fuck are you talking about?!"

"You lied," I hissed while struggling from his grip. "You told me he loved me…"

"Who," Kankuro asked. "Gaara?"

"No, the Pillsbury Doughboy," I said sarcastically. "OF COURSE GAARA!" Kankuro glared at me as I glared up at him. "I wasn't lying," he said angrily. "I was telling you the God's honest truth! Gaara loves you." I let out a sarcastic laugh and shook my head. "Yeah," I said. "That's why he just told me he's in love with Matsuri! There I am thinking 'maybe he really does love me back,' when all of a sudden, he says Matsuri!"

"He what," Kankuro cried.

"You heard me!"

"Suki, did he say that before or after you told him how you felt," Kankuro said in a hurried tone.

"I never told him anything," I said. "I was going to but then he came out with his feelings for Matsuri. And if you think I'm going to stick around and watch the one person I love getting it on someone else, you've got another thing coming!"

"Suki he's lying to you," Kankuro said as though it was obvious. "He's lying because he's afraid you'll reject him!"

"He's not," I said still trying to shake Kankuro's grip on my arm. "I saw the look in his eye when he was telling me how he felt about her…"

"Please believe me Suki," Kankuro now pleaded. "I know he loves you…he just chickened out. Give him more time…" I relaxed a little and Kankuro loosened his grip. "I promise you he's not telling you the truth…" I looked into Kankuro's eyes and found he was being sincere. He must really believe Gaara loved me…

"Are you sure he's lying," I whispered.

"Positive."

"I see," I said angrily while slapping Kankuro across the face and finally ripping my arm from his hand. "If Gaara really is lying, then share that with him will you please?" I was sick and tired of hearing from everyone else that Gaara loved me when he obviously didn't. I turned and marched down the stairs and towards the front door.

"Suki," Kankuro shouted. "Don't do this! He's your best friend after all…"

"Some friend you turned out to be," I yelled back. "And if what you're saying is true and Gaara wants to make amends, then he knows where to find me!"

After that I stormed out of the house, down the street and towards the gates of Suna. There was one little thing that was nagging me though…Gaara had no idea I was leaving. It wasn't fair to him if I just left without leaving him a note or something.

Mulling things over a little, I finally gathered up the vigor to sneak into the Kazekage office. Finding a scroll of unused parchment, I scribbled out a hasty goodbye and rolled it up. Looking down at my hands, I realized I still had the fake engagement ring on. Gaara had said I could keep it, but it wasn't right of me to. Besides…it may belong to Matsuri one day.

I took off the ring and stuck the scrolled up letter through it, leaving it like that on his desk. Taking one last look around the room, I wiped away some stray tears and let out a small sigh. The last thing I saw was the snow globe I had given to him as I left the village of Suna forever. He really did keep it on his desk after all…

Gaara's POV

"Idiot," I muttered after Suki left. "Why is it so hard to do this?" Propping my elbows on the table, I rubbed my temples with my fingertips, trying to sooth the throbbing in my head. Why had I not been able to tell her that she was the one I loved? Lord knows I was trying as hard as I could! I really, really did.

Then again, I could have just come out with it and said that I loved her but when I looked into her eyes something stirred inside me. I realized then that the love I felt for her was greater than I ever thought possible. Perhaps it was because I had been denying those feelings for so long, keeping them bottled up inside me until they burst. I had only just recently accepted them yet it didn't take long before they finally broke down the wall I had placed them behind…

Looking into Suki's eyes made me not only realize how much I loved her, but also instilled a deep fear. What if, after all this, she rejected me? Even if it was a kind rejection I would be deeply crushed. The fragile emotions that I tried to keep locked away from the outside world would be shattered. I was too afraid to convey my feelings aloud. And yet…_You torture yourself with that fear and never knowing how the other person feels makes it even worse,_ Kakashi's words from before rang through my head.

_Damn it,_ I thought. _He's right…I have to tell her._ Even if I had to shout it out to the world in front of her, I would do it. How I would go about doing so was a bit harder to determine. In fact, it took me the entire dinner to gather the courage and figure out how I would tell her. One thing was sure; my resolve to tell her was solid. I wasn't going to lie to her about my feelings anymore.

Walking down the streets of Suna, I thought I may as well check to see if Suki was in my office. She probably was, seeing as how a detailed report to the Hokage could take hours. My pace quickened as I kept up my courage. It was fueling me with adrenaline and before I knew it I was at my office door.

Taking a deep breath and keeping my nerve up, I opened the door to find no one in the office. "She's probably at home then," I whispered. I sighed heavily and tried to calm the pounding of my heart. There was no reason to get so worked up about facing her, although I knew it would still take a lot on my part to tell her when I got home.

Just as I was about to leave, I noticed something glisten on my desk. Curiosity got the better of me and I walked over to see the ring I had bought for Suki. I had told her to keep it hadn't I? Inside it was a scroll containing a letter. "No," I whispered while beginning to read the letter.

_Dear Gaara,_

_I realize that this must come as a shock to you, but our earlier conversation got me to thinking about a few things. When you asked me about Neji I have to say that I wasn't completely honest. Thinking back on the relationship I had with him, I realized that he made me so happy, that he still had a special place in my heart. It was then that I realized that I still loved him; more than I thought I did. After all he and I have been through, I still love him. Perhaps this isn't the best way to say goodbye, but I want to get back to The Hidden Leaf Village as soon as possible. It is important for me to tell Neji my true feelings. I hope you understand_

_I want to thank you for your hospitality while I was in Suna and I want to thank you for having such faith in me during out mission together. I also believe that you should tell Matsuri your true feelings for her. You should share your love with her, and I doubt she would not reciprocate your feelings. Matsuri does care for you, and I'm sure that the two of you would be happy with one another. I believe that she can make you as happy as Neji makes me. Love is something that should be shared with the person you love; not hidden from them. I wish you both the best._

_Respectfully yours,_

_Suki Nara_

I reread the letter over and over again, hoping against all hope that it wasn't real; that I was in some twisted nightmare. The problem was that it was all too real. "No," I whispered as the reality hit me. "NO!" I gripped my head in both hands as all my emotions imploded. The love I so desperately wanted to share with her was shattered and ground into a fine sand. I clutched my chest as the hurt went from a stabbing sensation to a horrid throbbing. What was I to do now?

Suki was gone; gone from my life once more. The person I treasured most had left me. And for what? For a man that claimed to love her. That damned Neji…how could she still love him after what he did to her? How could she willingly go back to him when it was obvious that he didn't care about how he hurt her. The man cheated on her and then lied his ass off to her about it. He didn't deserve a second chance…I was supposed to be the one that cared for her now. Didn't I deserve a chance?

"Lord Gaara," came a voice just as I balled up the letter and threw it towards the door. I leaned against my desk as Matsuri entered the room, picking up the letter as she did so. She slowly smoothed it out and read what was on it. I didn't care that she did either, not that it was really any of her business in the first place.

Matsuri's eyes widened and her face grew red as she leaned against the door, her weight pushing it closed. "Lord Gaara," she whispered while looking at me. "Is what she wrote true?" I nodded unhappily; the only thing going through my mind at the moment was the fact that Suki was back with Neji.

"I love you too," she said shyly. Looking up from the ground I stared at Matsuri with wide eyes. "What was that," I asked. Matsuri slowly tip toed over to me with a certain look in her eyes. I felt something akin to fear as she pressed her body up against mine. "I said that I love you too Gaara," she whispered. "I have for a very long time…"

With that said Matsuri pressed her lips against mine. In an instant my body became rigid and I wanted to push the girl away from me. She wasn't anything close to what I wanted. I wanted Suki in my arms, not Matsuri. This should be Suki pressing her lips upon mine. The thought of Suki being the one that was kissing me made my body relax a little. I found myself kissing back a little as well as placing my hands upon her hips.

The kiss was much better when I thought of Suki. In my mind it was her that was pressing her body against me, her that was balling up her fists in my hair as I became a bit rougher, her that started the kiss in the first place.

_Suki,_ I thought. _Suki…I love you so much._ Matsuri pulled away from me, gasping for breath. Instead of stopping this like I probably should have, I found myself nibbling and kissing down Matsuri's neckline, looking for the spot that always made Suki cry out. _You always seemed to shudder when I did this to you Suki,_ I thought.

There was a loud moan from Matsuri. _No,_ I thought to myself. _That's not what you sound like…_ I pulled away from Matsuri and looked into her eyes. Regret started to seep in a little. This wasn't what I wanted; this wasn't the woman I loved. I wanted Suki. _But she doesn't want you,_ a little voice in my head said. _She left you here; if she wanted you she would still be here._ I shook my head slowly.

"Matsuri," I whispered. "I…"

"I know," she interrupted. "I just wish one of us told the other sooner…" She was about to pull me in for another kiss when the door to my office was literally kicked in. "You DUMBASS," Kankuro shouted as he stomped in with a look of vengeance. Matsuri pushed away from me and got out of my brothers way as he came rushing towards me.

I wasn't expecting him to grab the front of my shirt with one hand and punching me with the other. The sheer force sent me flying over my desk and onto the other side. "What the fuck was that for," I shouted, standing up with a hand on the side of my head. It had struck the foot of my chair when I had toppled next to it.

"THAT was from Suki," Kankuro yelled back while slamming his fists on the desk. "And trust me when I say she was much nicer about it than I was!" There was still the remnant of a handprint on his left cheek from some woman. Whether or not it was Suki's I didn't know; although it did sound like something she would do…

"You spoke with her," I muttered darkly, wondering why of all people she chose to speak with him about leaving.

"Only after she threw a kunai at my head," Kankuro shouted. Now that was definitely something she would do…

"Anyway," he continued angrily. "She told me what happened earlier. Are you fucking insane?! Telling her that -" I covered his mouth with a thick layer of sand to shut him up for a moment. It didn't really stop him though, seeing as how his mouth kept moving and I could hear muffled words.

"Matsuri," I said while walking over to her. "Would you excuse us for a moment? I need to speak with my brother privately."

"Sure Gaara," she said before wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me. "I've got to go home and get some things done anyway. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" I nodded as she smiled and left the two of us alone. I turned back to my brother to see look of murderous intent in his eyes.

"What. The hell. Was that," he shouted once I removed the sand from his mouth. "I know what I saw so don't fucking try and deny it Gaara!"

"I won't," I said calmly. "Matsuri told me she loves me."

"Oh brilliant," Kankuro shouted. "Why would she tell you that when she's been too afraid to tell you for the past…three years?! Did she over hear you say something about being in love with her or did you just tell her to avoid your feelings for Suki?"

"You don't know a thing about how I feel," I hissed. "Matsuri happened to read the letter Suki left me and when she asked if it were true I nodded, only thinking about the reason Suki left."

"And what, pray tell, was the reason Suki left," Kankuro asked as I pointed to the letter on my desk. Kankuro lifted it up and read it. His reaction to it surprised me. He began to chuckle and soon those chuckles erupted into uproarious laughter. He was close to hysterics and had to use the desk to hold himself up. I glared at him as he leaned against the desk and clutched his sides as tears started to stream down his cheeks.

"The two of you," Kankuro gasped, finally calming down a little. "The fact that you would come up with such obvious lies and actually believe them kills me…"

"I don't understand," I said as Kankuro wiped his eyes.

"Suki loves Neji just as much as someone would love intestinal flu," he explained while putting the letter down. "Did it ever occur to you that she wrote this as an excuse?"

"An excuse for what?"

"An excuse for leaving," he shouted. "My God Gaara, do I have to spell it out for you?! Suki even told me before she left that she didn't want to watch the one person she loved getting it on with someone else."

"She said that," I whispered. Was that true; did she really say that I was the one person she loved? I highly doubted it but the idea of it made my heart race. If only such a thing were true…if it were, I would hold her close and whisper to her the feelings I had and how much she meant to me. I would kiss her tenderly and she would tell me that she loved me back.

That would never happen though; that was just a dream that would plague me for the rest of my life. It was a lie, and I believed in that in some strange way Kankuro was just trying to make me feel better. "Go after her Gaara," he said. "Go and bring her back."

I shook my head. "I think Suki belongs with her family," I whispered. "She should be with the ones she trusts. I love her Kankuro, but I can't rip her away from the ones she loves. She doesn't belong here; not with me…because she could never love me."

Anger returned to Kankuro's eyes as he glared at me. "You live in the greatest state of denial I have ever known," he said angrily. "Fine, you don't want to believe what's right there in front of your eyes, then don't. I'm done. I wash my hands of this whole thing." I watched as Kankuro walked towards the door.

"You what the worst part is," he said while turning to face me. "Both Temari and I were really hoping the two of you would get together. Suki was the first person to find her way into your heart after all. She's special Gaara; and the fact that you're giving her up to some other guy just sickens me. Because you obviously meant the world to her."

With that, he turned and left. Nothing he said changed anything…I wouldn't bring Suki back because if she had wanted to stay she would have. My heart ached at the thought of never seeing her again, but I knew that I never would. Suki was gone from my life and I had to accept it. The problem was that I don't think I ever could…

Author's Note: This is not the end of the story. I repeat, this is NOT the end of the story. I know you all hate me now but I promise you will love me later on… XD


	30. Chapter 30

Shikamaru's POV (Two days later)

The doorbell rang relentlessly combined with the sound of someone continuing to pound on the door. I was hoping it was in my head, since it was three in the fucking morning, but the noises just wouldn't go away. "Thank God it's raining on that asshole," I muttered while pushing away the cover from my futon. "I wish lightening would strike them down so I wouldn't have to answer the door."

Getting to my feet, I crossed the small one bedroom apartment to the front door. I cursed whoever was at behind said door and leaned against the frame of it, still debating on whether or not to open it. I yawned and thought of just going back to bed, only to have the door kicked by whoever was on the other side. Obviously they could sense I was standing right there. Damn them…

"What the fuck do you -" I shouted while opening the door. I froze mid sentence to see a drenched black haired woman standing on the stoop. "Suki," I whispered. "I thought you were in Suna…" She didn't say a thing; only stared at me with this injured look in her eyes.

It wasn't long before she literally leapt at me, arms wrapping around my neck in a tight hug before I toppled down onto the ground, her legs on either side of me. "I'm so glad it's too early in the morning for anyone to be out," I thought aloud. "Because if anyone saw this they would think something they shouldn't think…"

Hell, why wouldn't they think it? Here was my sister in her wet outfit clinging to every part of her body, basically straddling me in a tight hug while I lay here in a white t-shirt and boxer shorts…this was not a pretty picture. "Hey Nara," shouted one of my neighbors, coming home from a night of drinking. "Way to score!"

"GO FUCK YOURSELF AYASEGAWA," I shouted while kicking the door shut with my foot. "What a drag…"

Suki sobbed heavily as I wrapped my arms around her back. This was bad…she hadn't tackled me like this since we were kids and when she did it meant something was horribly wrong. "Come on," I whispered. "What's wrong?" She shook her head and continued to sob. Shit…

"Are you planning on talking to me at all?" She pounded my shoulder lightly with her fist. "I'll take that as a no," I muttered. "Is this about something or someone?" Suki shook her head, and then nodded. Thankfully, after all the times she had been in this state, I was able to understand she wanted me to know it was about someone.

"Is that why you left Suna?" Another nod; at least we were getting somewhere. "Look," I said. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes okay? You've already gotten me drenched enough as it is…" She nodded and rolled off of me so that I could stand. "You left your bag outside didn't you," I said as she stood. Nod.

Sighing, I opened my door and found a black bag still sitting in the rain. No doubt all the clothes inside it were soaked as well. I let out a frustrated sigh and threw the bag next to my dresser before grabbing my sister a towel and one of my clean shirts and boxers.

"Here," I grunted while tossing them to her. "You know where the bathroom is." Suki glared at me and stuck her tongue out at me as well. It was good to know she hadn't lost her sense of humor. As she dried herself off in the bathroom, I did the same in my bedroom and changed into a different set of clothes as well.

"So are you going to tell me what happened or am I just going to have to guess," I asked once Suki had finally finished up and decided to join me in my room. She gave me a 'what do you think' look. I swear I was getting too old for this silent game…she had started it at a young age and still hadn't grown out of it. The first time it had happened was when she had been attacked by our cousins when they found out she could use shadows and the last time it had happened was during the Chunin exams. Although now that I thought about it, Naruto had said something about her not talking after Gaara had been taken away by the Akatsuki…

"So this is about someone who obviously upset you," I said. "Now who was it?" I was met with silence. Now for the guessing to begin…this could take a while. I thought back to the mission she had just had and remembered the report that Tsunade had gotten from Naruto. I knew the list of everyone that had been on that mission with her and only three names caused a red flag to go off in my mind.

"Did Kiba say something to you that pissed you off," I asked. Suki rolled her eyes at me and shook her head. Granted Kiba could piss anyone off on a daily basis with his blunt personality, but Suki had learned to take it in stride. Next on my list was Naruto, since he could just mouth off at times. He also still didn't really understand how to not mess with a pissed off Suki. She shook her head none the less.

"Was it because of Neji," I asked. That seemed to trigger something, seeing as how Suki glared at me for even mentioning that bastard's name. Then again, she gave me a look that said 'guess again idiot'. This wasn't really as easy as I thought it would be. The only people that were left were the ones in Suna, but she didn't know anyone there…unless…

"Was it something Kankuro did," I asked. "Because you could have talked to Gaara about that instead of coming all the way back here."

Suki winced at one of the names and clutched her chest before looking away with tears in her eyes. "It was Kankuro," I asked. Suki shook her head roughly and I felt something inside me snap. "Gaara," I shouted. "Gaara did something?!"

I watched as my beloved sister broke down into sobs. She nodded furiously and I jumped to my feet. "What the hell did he do," I shouted, automatically thinking the worst possible scenarios. I may not have known Gaara very well, but from what Temari had told me and from the way Suki acted around him I felt I could trust him. I had faith that he could take care of my sister while she was working with him since I had seen him protect her with my own eyes on more than one occasion. I never had any problems with him and I always felt there was this small bond between us since we had the same interest at heart; that interest being Suki of course. Now that he had caused her to become a mess, I felt betrayed.

"If you're not going to tell me then I'll go to Suna myself and beat it out of him," I shouted while heading towards the door. There was the sound of hurried movement from behind me as Suki scrambled to her feet and rushed towards me. Just as I turned around to face her I was tackled and brought to the floor for the second time that night.

"What the…why are you doing this," I yelled as she looked me in the eyes. I was surprised at what I saw behind them. Her brown orbs conveyed a deep worry; not for me but for Gaara. What was behind the worry was what shocked me the most though. It was love; a kind that ran so much deeper than the kind of love that she once had for Neji.

"You love him, don't you," I whispered. Suki looked away and nodded slowly before letting me up. I sighed as she sat there, hugging her knees to her chest. "Did you tell him," I asked. She shook her head. "So it's obvious that it wasn't a rejection," I muttered; although from what I heard from Temari I don't think he would reject her if Suki told him how she felt. What could he have said that set her off like this?

"Was it something he said that got you upset," I asked. She nodded. "Was it something he told you or…"

Another nod. Now we were getting somewhere. Mulling a few things over, I started to wonder if maybe Gaara had expressed having a crush on someone else. That certainly would upset her, but not enough to this point…if he had stated that it was a crush then she would have said something about having feelings for him. No, it would have to be more than a crush…

"Did Gaara tell you he was in love with someone else," I asked. Suki buried her face in her hands as more tears fell from her eyes. Looked like I hit the nail on the head. "Suki," I whispered softly. "I'm sorry…I…" I watched as she continued to weep, not knowing what else to say. There really was nothing to say anyway. What difference would it make if I kept talking? There was nothing I could do except…

Lifting up the phone I had in the kitchen I decided to call the only person I knew who could help Suki. He wouldn't be happy about being called at almost four in the morning though, but if anyone could get her to feel a little better it was him.

The phone rang about three times before it was answered. "Shikamaru," came a tired, annoyed voice. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sorry pal," I said while scratching the back of my head. "But I have a problem…"

"Then call an escort service," the voice said angrily. "Or a special hotline…don't call me!"

"What kind of sicko are you," I muttered. "It's not a problem like that anyway. I'm calling because Suki is here and she…" There was now a dial tone on the other end of the line. I glared at the phone and hung up. Not two seconds later, the door was flung open and a wet Choji came rushing into my apartment.

"How the hell did you get here so fast," I asked while shutting the door. "I may as well have just opened a bag of chips over the receiver…"

"Is that all you can do is make jokes," Choji said while walking over to Suki. "Your sister is obviously upset and you have to make a chubby joke!"

What I had said was true about his getting here that fast. Choji lived at least two miles away from me and would only get here that fast if food was offered or my sister was in trouble. At the moment though, I was thanking whatever higher power there was that I had had the insight to give Choji a key to my place a few weeks back, because if I hadn't I was almost certain I would be door-less.

"Suki," Choji whispered while kneeling down next to her. "Hey…what's going on?" She didn't say anything, only threw her arms around his neck and cried on his shoulder. "Come on," Choji said with a smile. "You can tell me."

Suki shook her head as Choji tried his hardest to comfort her. This wasn't good; Choji was sort of my last ace in the hole. He had been the only one that was able to make Suki talk again. In fact, the only time she had started talking again without Choji's help was about four years ago when Lee had been injured from the Chunin exams. That day, it was Gaara who got her to talk again; not that he realized it or even meant to but still.

"Suki," Choji whispered. "Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"You want to know what's wrong," I asked. "She's suffering from a broken heart that's what's wrong." Choji looked at me with wide eyes. He seemed surprised by this, and I could understand. Choji had sort of been hoping that Suki would give him a chance, even if she had already rejected him. He still loved her and I don't think he was planning on giving up on her.

"What," he asked. His tone was hurt, and I kind of felt bad for bringing it up. "Suki's in love with Gaara," I whispered. "I have a feeling that she has been for a long time and that she finally just realized it. Problem is that Gaara just told Suki that he was in love with someone else…"

"So that's why…" Choji asked. I nodded as Choji's grip on Suki became tighter. He didn't like the fact that Suki was in love with someone else, but he was still her friend. Choji had been there for her countless times and I was sure that he would continue to be there for Suki. No matter what she could always count on him.

"I'm sorry Suki," he whispered as she continued to cry into his shoulder. Choji kissed her head as she did, and glanced over at me. "When did she get back," he asked. I shrugged. "About two hours ago I guess," I said. "Woke me right up with all that pounding on the door..." Choji gave me a half a smirk and shook his head. "Sounds about right," he said as Suki finally started to calm down. "Anything else you need?"

"Just my peace of mind," I said with a yawn. "You can probably go home now. I'm gonna put out my guest futon and let Suki stay here."

"You okay with that," Choji asked as he let go of Suki. She looked into his eyes and shook her head. Throwing her arms around his waist, she pushed him down to the ground, shaking her head vigorously. "Hey," Choji said while stroking her hair. "You're going to be alright..." She rested her face on his chest and shook her head again. "You want me to stay huh," he whispered.

Suki looked up at him and nodded. "Looks like I'm staying the night too Shikamaru," he said. I shook my head and threw a pillow at Choji. "No," I said while putting down the spare futon in the living room. "Not unless she says she wants you to stay." A kunai whizzed passed my cheek and I looked up to see a glare from Suki's eyes. "It was a good try," Choji said. "But you should have known that wouldn't work."

"I had to try something to get her to talk again," I said. "It was a long shot but I hate it when she doesn't talk." Choji just nodded as Suki got up and walked over to the futon I prepared for her. She settled in for some much needed rest and seemed to fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. It didn't really come as a surprise to me, seeing as how she must have been emotionally and physically drained.

"Well, I'm going to go back to sleep myself," I said while walking to my room. "You go ahead and do the same."

"Ummm," Choji mumbled. I turned and looked at him. "What?"

"Are you sure you're okay with me sleeping next to your sister," he asked. "I mean it's not like I would try anything but…"

"I could care less Choji," I muttered. "I trust the hell out of you and I know you wouldn't do anything to Suki in this vulnerable state even if she begged you to. Besides, she would have a fit if you left."

"That's true," Choji whispered while looking down at Suki. "It's just…I hate seeing her like this you know? It's really painful to see her hurting like this." I nodded and leaned against the door frame to my bedroom. Yeah, I could see how it hurt him. Watching the woman you loved hurting like this…especially when it was because she was pining over some other guy. "I'm sorry Choji," I said. "I really wish that Suki loved you the way you loved her. I know she wouldn't be like that if the two of you were together, hell I think you're the best match for her."

"I wouldn't say that Shikamaru," he said. "I think that in most ways, Gaara is. I kinda already figured out she was in love with him, even before she realized it; so I came to terms with that a while ago."

"How did you figure all this out," I asked.

"I may not be as smart as you, but I can read between the lines," he said with a smile. "It was the way she acted whenever she talked about him, her eyes would light up. She would go on and on whenever she got a letter from him, and those rare times they were able to see one another… Suki was always so happy when he was around."

"True," I said, "But I still think that…"

"Shikamaru, I can't make Suki feel the way she feels around Gaara," he said. "I can't say I'm not jealous because I am a little, but I feel that Gaara is better for her than anyone else."

"You make it sound like you want the two of them get together," I said with a smirk.

"And if I did?"

My smirk fell as I looked at my best friend. "You can't be serious," I almost shouted. "I don't even know why we're even talking about this since Gaara's already told her that he's in love with someone else. I don't even know how we got on this subject in the first place, but whatever. I'm going to bed." I turned away from Choji and dove back into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Suki's POV (four months later)

"Hey," Tsunade shouted. "Are you listening two listening to me?!" I glared at the old lady as Choji let out a sigh. "Yes Lady Tsunade," Choji said.

"Not you," she said while glaring at me. "I want this one to say something. She's been clammed up for four months…I have a good mind to stop letting her go on missions…" I glared at Tsunade again and she glared right back.

True, I hadn't even spoken a word since I left Suna, but I was still doing my job perfectly. There was no reason to take me off of the missions list. In fact, I had become much better as a ninja since I trained relentlessly ever since I got back.

I gave Tsunade a nod to let her know I had been listening. She sighed tiredly and shook her head, knowing that she couldn't win against me. "Fine," she muttered. "Now then, this next mission the two of you are going on is important. Suki, remember the battered woman you told me about a while back? The one from the Land of Rivers…" I looked at her with wide eyes and nodded.

"Well the paperwork finally went through and we're able to take her in," Lady Tsunade said. "She's traveling here now, with her son and we need someone to meet up with her at the right drop off point. She has been guarded by her brother in laws men but we don't know how long they will be able to keep her safe. Already her ex-husband has tried to take her life and steal their son from her custody."

"So we're going to go meet up with her and bring her back here," Choji said. "Sounds easy enough." I shook my head and placed a hand on Choji's shoulder. I felt that this wasn't going to be easy, but I was happy that I could help Hana. I felt as though she was a kindred spirit in a manor of sorts. She had seen a lot of hurt in her life, just as I had.

"Here's the location of the drop off point," Tsunade said while handing Choji a rolled up map and a scroll. "Give that scroll to Lady Hana's guards as proof of who you are. Do you have anything to say Suki?" I shrugged and shook my head. Tsunade seemed to growl at me as she glared. "Fine," she said. "Now just get going!"

"You're really on her nerves aren't you," Choji asked as we left her office. "It's obvious she's worried about you. We all are…" I shrugged as I looked at him. He gave me a sad smile and I looked away again.

Choji had been like a shadow ever since I had returned from Suna. More than likely because he was the only person I would tolerate, but also because he wouldn't leave me alone. He was the only one Tsunade would allow to work with me on missions and he rarely let me out of his sight.

It was probably a good thing too seeing as how he was the only one that could keep me in line nowadays. Hell, he had to hold me back a few times when I got angry…and quite frankly I was easily angered ever since I came back. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I still wasn't over Gaara. In fact, I still loved him just as much as I had back then, maybe even more so. Whatever, I had a mission to concentrate on now and I wasn't going to dwell on the past.

"We should probably get going now," Choji said once we left the building. "I'm assuming that you have everything you need right now but are you sure you're ready for this?" I looked at him questioningly. "I'm only asking because the last time you saw this lady was when you were…well, you know…"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what he meant. He was worried that I would get upset over the fact that the last time I had seen Hana I was with Gaara. Choji thought that memories of Gaara could come up and I would start to become upset by them. Instead, I just shook my head and walked towards the village gates.

"I'll take that as a sign that you're ready to leave," Choji said. I nodded with a smirk. "Good, 'cause I am too."

The two of us walked silently to the drop off point in the woods ten miles outside the village border. I looked over at Choji and pointed up towards the tree tops, letting him know I would wait in them in case of an ambush. He nodded and walked out into the designated clearing.

I watched, concealed in the trees as a guard approached him from the other end. "Who are you," the guard asked in a gruff voice. Choji stood his ground, wondering whether this guard was friend or foe. "My name is Choji Akamichi," Choji said while slowly taking out the scroll Tsunade had given him. "I've come for Lady Hana." There was rustling in the undergrowth on the other side of the clearing as a small head poked through the weeds. I felt myself smile a little when I realized it was her son, Tanaka.

The guard looked over the scroll quickly, nodded and motioned for the others to come out of hiding. Tanaka was the first to come running out of his hiding spot as his mother slowly stood up with the help of another guard. She looked about six months along now, and it probably wasn't easy for her to be traveling so far.

"Isn't there supposed to be another one of you," the other guard asked. "We were told that we would be met by two ninjas."

"I'm sorry," Choji said. "I was the only one available."

"How do I know we should trust you?"

"Stop this," Hana said. "If he is a Leaf Village ninja then he's more than capable of helping my son and me." The guard backed down, but still glared at Choji. I rolled my eyes a little and just barely caught sight of something else moving in the bushes to the right of the clearing. Grabbing a kunai, I took aim and threw it right at what ever it was.

The weapon hit its intended target, and there was a shout from the bushes. I jumped down from the branch I was on and rushed over to Choji, another kunai in my hand. "Lady Suki," Hana whispered in astonishment.

"Get down," Choji shouted as a needle came towards me. I knocked it away with my kunai and extended my opposite hand. The shadow of my arm shot forward and grabbed hold of who ever was in the bushes and yanked them out. "Well, looks like your ambush didn't work," Choji said. I used my shadow hand to dangle the rouge ninja in front of us by his ankle. A smirk came to my face as the ninja tried to free himself from the hand.

"Do you think he'd be willing to answer a few questions for us Suki," Choji asked me. I shook my head and then heard rustling from behind us. Sensing there were three more of these goons back there, I sent three more shadow hands after them. Now there was a grand total of four rogues dangling by their ankles four feet off the ground.

"That all," Choji asked me. I nodded, knowing that there wasn't any more in hiding. "Good," he continued while walking over to the first one I had caught. "Now, I hope all of you will be kind enough to answer the few questions I have."

"Why would we do that," the one to the far right spat. I glared at him and threw the kunai I had in my hand into his shoulder. The man let out a cry of pain and Choji let out a small sigh. "Suki," he said. "I don't think that was really necessary…" I shrugged, waving my hand to motion for him to continue with his interrogation.

"Thank you," he said while turning back to the other ninjas. "As you can see, my friend here might not speak very much but she has a terrible temper. I'd hate to have to unleash it upon you. You see, with her you only get one chance."

"There's nothing you can do that will make us talk," the one I had just thrown my kunai at shouted. I snorted and glared at the man. "Suki, don't," Choji yelled as I wrapped a new shadow hand around the man's neck. I didn't listen to him; hell, I didn't want to. This guy had now pissed me off and we only needed one to tell us the information we needed right? Best make an example of this one…

Choji hurriedly covered Tanaka's eyes as I broke the rogue ninja's neck with a sickening crunch. There was a gasp from Lady Hana as I tossed the now dead body aside. I could feel the guards behind me quake in there boots as they watched me. If that had scared them then they were pathetic in my book.

In fact, that had just been a mercy killing. I had originally wanted to rip his head off his body but that would have been a bit too much for some of the others. Grabbing on to all four limbs and ripping them off had been a nice thought as well, but that was too much of a mess. I decided that the next one that annoyed me would be impaled by a shadow spike.

"Suki," Choji said angrily. "Don't you have any sense of decency? There is a child here as well." I looked over at him and saw him let go of the little boy. Tanaka looked at me with fear in his eyes before he rushed over to his mother. He grabbed hold of her and started to cry. Lady Hana placed her arms about her son in a loving manner and looked at me with a sort of resentment.

"This isn't how I wanted this to go," Choji muttered as he walked over to me. "You didn't have to go that far." I didn't look at my friend, instead I stared straight ahead. In my opinion, this was an interrogation. If you had to torture, maim, or kill for the sake of obtaining the needed information then you did what you had to do. It didn't matter if some blood was spilt.

"Look," Choji said to the rogues. "Just tell me what I want to know and you won't end up like your friend." Oh so now my killing was giving him the proper leverage to obtain the information?

"What do you want to know," asked the one in the center nervously.

"Fool," the one on the left said. "We shouldn't talk even if our lives are at stake."

"Yeah but that one seems like she'll end out lives in the craziest ways possible," the one on the right said. "I don't know about you but I don't want to see what's directly behind me!"

"Who was it that hired you," Choji said, ignoring their argument.

"Kusanagi," the one in the center said. "Tessi Kusanagi. He told us that he wanted his kid back and to kill whoever got in the way."

"No," Lady Hana shouted at the man. "I won't let him have my son!"

"Look lady," the one on the right said. "We weren't told the kid was with his mother. Kusanagi said the kid was taken away and he wanted him back."

"That is no excuse," Lady Hana said.

"Why does Kusanagi want his son back so much," Choji asked.

"He said it was his only child," the one on the right continued. "Wanted back his only heir…"

"He can't have him," Hana shouted.

"He won't take your son away from you, not while we're still around anyway," Choji said. "Come on, let's get going; we're done here." I glanced over at Choji as he started to walk towards the direction of the village with everyone. "Take care of them Suki," he said.

I looked back at the men hanging from my shadows and grinned evilly. "Wha-what are you going to do," the one in the center asked nervously. I waited until the others were gone before I said anything. Choji and the others had thought I had remained silent for the past four months, but this wasn't entirely so. When I was out on a mission and I chose to kill, I spoke a few words to my prey before ending their lives.

"Simple," I whispered while looking at them with hatred. "I'm going to let the shadows consume you, just as they have consumed me…" Before the men could even scream, thousands of thin needles erupted from the shadows beneath them. The needles struck them any which way; making it look as though they didn't have a specific path. This wasn't the case really, because I made sure the needles didn't make an instant kill.

The needles hit vital points yes, but I would rather these men suffered because in some strange way it was empowering. Killing like this quelled the anger and other horrid emotions running around inside me. It made me feel better to know someone else knew what suffering was. The pain the other person experienced on the outside was the same as the emotional pain I felt on the inside. That was how I felt anyway…

I dropped the dying men onto the ground, retracted my shadows and went to find Choji and the others. They took in my blood spattered clothes and while the others looked at me with fear, Choji just shook his head and sighed. "When I told you to take care of them I meant for you to knock them unconscious," he said as I walked by him. "I didn't mean for you to kill them."

I shrugged, not caring. I knew it bothered Choji that I didn't even flinch at ripping someone apart, but I didn't care about that. "Lady Suki," Lady Hana said as she fell in step next to me. "It's been a long time...I wasn't expecting to see you here. I trust all is well with the Kazekage?"

I froze in place at the mention of Gaara. I sighed, knowing I should have expected him to come up. Lady Hana had no idea that our engagement had been a ruse, but at the same time I had sort of a falling out with him after I left him like that. I hadn't heard from Gaara these past four months, although I really hadn't expected to. He could have written me but he hadn't. Why he hadn't I didn't know, but I guess the postal service did work both ways. Ah well, no use crying over it now…

"I'm sorry Lady Hana," Choji said as I pushed past her. "But Suki hasn't spoken a word ever since she returned."

"What do you mean," she whispered. "I thought…"

"They sort of had a falling out," Choji mumbled. "It didn't go very well."

"But they seemed so in love," Hana whispered to Choji. "What happened?"

"Well…" Choji said as I sent him a death glare. He swallowed the lump in his throat, knowing I would kill him if he said anymore. "It's best not to talk about it," he finally said. Hana looked from Choji, to me, and back to Choji. She seemed curious, but didn't press the matter at all.

"Are you a ninja," Tanaka asked him. Choji smiled down at the boy and nodded. "Yup," he said. "I take it you've both been traveling for a while?" Tanaka smiled up at him and nodded. "Yeah," the little boy said. "A real long time; it's really tiring…" The boy yawned and Choji shook his head with a smile.

"Well then," he said. "Why don't I let you ride on my shoulders? The village isn't that far off, but it's still a decent ways away."

Tanaka's face beamed as he lifted his arms into the air. Choji smiled down at the little boy and lifted him up with ease, placing him on his shoulders. "Look Mommy," Tanaka said as he waved his arms in the air. "I'm taller than you now!"

"Yes you are," Hana said to her son with a smile. "Just don't beat on this nice man."

"I won't," Tanaka said happily.

"Don't worry about me," Choji said. "I've taken quite a beating before so I don't think there's much he could do to me."

"You'll be sorry you said that," Hana said with a small smile. Choji laughed and shook his head. "Nah, if I can survive being beaten up by Suki, then I can survive anything," Choji answered. I smiled, looking back at my best friend and shaking my head. He was right about that; seeing as how we used to rough house all the time when we were younger. It usually ended with me pinning him or my brother.

"How long have you known each other then," Hana asked.

"Well, our fathers have been best friends since they were kids," Choji said. "One of the times they got together my dad brought me and Mr. Nara brought along Shikamaru and Suki. How old were we at the time; four?"

I raised up my right hand with the fingers spread wide, indicating five. "That's right," Choji said. "We were five, so thirteen years give or take."

"That's a very long time," Hana said. "Not many relationships last that long." Choji nodded slowly. "I think it has something to do with the fact that our fathers are still friends," he said. "Well that and the fact that Shikamaru and I used to be on the same team, although Suki wasn't paired with us. Still, we always managed to find some way to cause trouble." Hana laughed. "Sounds like you've had many adventures together," she said.

"Too many to count," Choji said.

"Momma," Tanaka said. "Can we write to Uncle Kei?"

"We promised to once we got to the village didn't we," Hana said with a smile. "We're going to have to tell him we bumped into you Lady Suki." I stopped mid stride and looked back at Hana with confusion. I mean, why would the guy be interested in me?

"He still speaks of you," she answered, causing me to blush. "He told me that he caught you while you were falling from one of the trees in the garden. I don't believe that it's true, but the way he tells it…his eyes light up and he starts to smile."

"Did you really fall from a tree," Choji asked with a laugh. I felt my blush deepen as I nodded and Choji laughed even more. "Someone's getting clumsy," he said. "How did that happen?"

"The way Lord Kei tells it she was sleeping in it," Hana said. "Although I really never thought the story was true. Lady Suki seemed to be more well-balanced than that."

"You're becoming as lazy as your brother," Choji said while looking at me. I let out a frustrated growl and folded my arms before turning away from them again. Although, it was a surprise to know that Kei Kusanagi still talked about me. I must have made a bad impression on him if he still talked about the time I fell into his arms. Ugh, he must make fun of me all the time…I mean, what kind of ninja looses her balance and falls from a tree?!

"Well," Choji said as the village came into view. "Welcome to the Hidden Leaf." Hana's eyes widened as we walked through the gates. "I had no idea it was this large," she whispered. "Is everyone here a ninja?"

"No," Choji answered. "But a lot of clans do live here."

"Hey Choji," called a voice. "You seen…never mind." I looked over to see my twin walking over with his hands in his pockets. "Where'd you get the kid," Shikamaru said with a smirk. "Steal him from a pack of gypsies?" I smacked my brother upside the head and he laughed. "No," Choji answered with a small sigh. "Suki and I went to pick up Lady Hana and this is her son."

"Please," Hana said. "There's no need for you to call me 'Lady' anymore…just call me Hana." Choji smiled at her and nodded. "Anyway I was looking for you Suki," Shikamaru said while turning to me. "The parents have invited us over for dinner next week. Are you up for it?"

I nodded and sighed a little. Both my mom and dad had been annoying me constantly since I got back. Mom had been trying to get me to move back in with the two of them ever since I had moved in with Shikamaru, who was ecstatic about the fact that Neji was never going to be in the picture; although he was very upset that I had let Neji have the apartment. Dad, on the other hand, came by every day to see how his little girl was doing. It annoyed the living hell out of me, but they were my parents. I mean what would I do without them?

"I would have preferred a verbal answer," Shika said. "So what do you say?" I glared at my brother and folded my arms. "Lady Tsunade tried that earlier," Choji said. "Didn't work as you can see…"

"Worth another shot," Shika said with a shrug. "I'm starting to think that she'll remain mute for the rest of her life…"

"It's really that bad," Hana whispered. Shikamaru looked at her, not really knowing what to think of her. His basic instincts told him that this woman was just another battered nobleman's wife that didn't know what it took to make it in the real world; therefore she shouldn't be a part of this conversation. Still, perhaps she might be able to give some insight.

"For four months my sister hasn't uttered a single word," he said. "I would consider this a blessing, but I'm worried about her." I smacked him over the head again for saying he would consider my speechlessness a blessing. "You know," Shika said while turning to me. "I only say this stuff because I give a shit. You don't have to be this way!"

"I don't mean to be rude," Hana whispered. "But have you considered that she does this because she wants you to back off? Sometimes it's better to let the person be until they are ready to talk about it…especially if it's over a broken heart."

"Lady," Shikamaru said now looking over at her. "If I let this one be she'd get much worse…and I know that for a fact."

I hated to admit it but Shikamaru was right about that. There had been a time where my family decided to wait for me to open up, but I never did. I had been seven, and it was the fifth time one of my extended family members tried to kill me. The worst part about it was that it had been my father's youngest brother, the uncle I had cherished the most.

My uncle took me out for a walk that day to a secluded area. It was there that he beat me half to death, stripped me, tied my hands behind my back and threw me into a river to drown. I don't really know how, but somehow my body was washed up on one of the banks five miles down stream. Someone found me and took my unconscious body to the hospital where I lay in a bed for a month.

When I was finally able to go home, I sort of just tuned out the rest of the world and holed myself up in my room 24-7…no one in my family asked me any questions. They just let me be, probably thinking that I would open up when I was ready. Problem was that I never did; I didn't do anything. I didn't eat, I barely slept, and I didn't speak to anyone except for Shikamaru and Choji. The only thing that went through my head was why no one wanted me alive. It made me so depressed that eventually I decided that since I wasn't worth anything to anyone I should die.

I slashed my wrists and hoped I would bleed to death. It was Shikamaru who found me in our room, unconscious from lose of blood. He alerted our parents immediately and I was taken to the hospital again. I think that was why Shika never left me alone about anything ever again. He blamed himself for what happened to me, even though none of it was his fault. I guess he thought that if he reached out to me more that that would never have happened. It was all water under the bridge to me now anyway.

"I think we should get to the Hokage's office so she knows that everything went well," Choji said, bringing me back from reminiscing. I nodded and followed them to the office.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author here! I hope everyone is enjoying the story and how it's going so far. I know plenty of you have grabbed your torches and pitchforks and are out to get me for dragging this on…anyway that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I forgot to mention in earlier chapters that the Hattori's are NOT my characters. I got it from an awesome Manga called Tail of the Moon which I suggest you should read if you like things that are funny, slightly romantic, and have ninjas. So, excluding the Naruto characters and the Hattori's, the others are my own creation. Thank you for your time and enjoy the next chapter! (Hides from impending mob)**

**Oh and someone asked me why Gaara was moaning 'Suri' when he was dreaming of Suki. I wanted to make it clear that that was what Suki THOUGHT he was saying. She had no idea he was dreaming of her. Anyway, I'm done now and shall go back to writing the next chapter of this story.  
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Shikamaru's POV (A week later)

"So how's it been going," Dad asked as he sat on the living room couch. I shook my head while leaning against the wall. "I can't tell you what you want to hear pops," I said. "Suki's able to function but she doesn't show very much emotion at all. It's like living with a freaking robot."

"This isn't good," Dad mumbled. "If she continues like this and they find out…" I looked at the old man confused. For the longest time I felt that there was something he was keeping from me and I didn't know what it was. "What is it that you're not telling me," I said, glaring at him.

The old man sort of smirked at my outburst. "There's something I've kept from both you and your sister, son," he said. "I'll tell you but you have to promise me one thing. You. Can not. Tell. Your sister."

"What the hell have you been keeping from us," I asked.

"You have to understand that I did it to protect her," he whispered, folding his hands and looking down at his lap. "There was…a method to our family's madness so to speak…"

"What do you mean?"

"The first attack on Suki was because of jealousy, but the others weren't," he said, still a little wary about telling me the whole story.

"You're not explaining things clearly," I said, folding my arms. "Now spill it."

"Shikamaru, our jutsu's revolve around shadows correct?" I nodded, still not able to grasp what he was getting at. "The shadows we use are different from the ones your sister uses," Dad explained. "Ours are shadows that are cast by objects that get in the way of light. Suki's are cast from pure darkness; the kind that stems from bad emotions that settle in the heart. In essence, the darker her heart becomes the stronger she becomes."

"That still doesn't explain…"

"Think about it Shikamaru," Dad interrupted. "Ever since she was a little girl, they made her think that no one wanted her to life. They planted a seed of resentment in her heart, one that would grow and fester with every time they came after her. They wanted the shadows to consume her…they wanted her to become a weapon that they could use at their disposal."

"I don't…why," I shouted. "Why would they do this?!"

"Our clan is large Shikamaru," he said. "But not that powerful. Once Suki was born, they realized that we could gain more respect and more power. They don't see her as a person; they see her as a tool."

I stood there, eyes wide and dumbfounded. This…how could they do something like this?! Suki was a human being, not a weapon or a tool…

"Shikamaru I'm worried," Dad whispered. "This problem with Gaara seems to have pushed her over the edge. She's been training constantly to get her mind off it right? What are her jutsu's like? Are her hand signs different?"

I thought about the time I had watched her train alone, not knowing I was in the trees above her. It had been an experience I'd never forget. "She doesn't use hand signs," I whispered. "She just waves her arms and they do as she commands. Not only that, but she didn't even use the shadows around her; she used her own. It was darker than any shadow I've seen, and it seemed that she could stretch it beyond its limits."

"That's what I was afraid of," Dad said. "The shadows she's using are from the darkness in her heart…" I stared at my father as if he had grown another head. "Is there anything that can stop this," I asked. "Because it's not like she's getting any better…she's getting worse. The other day Choji told me that she killed without needing to. In front of a child no less! It's like her morals have gone out the window and that she doesn't care about anything."

"That's because she doesn't," Dad answered. "There's nothing we can do."

"There has to be something!"

"I said that there was nothing _we_ could do," he said with a smirk. "That doesn't mean that there isn't someone that could help her…" I shook my head. "No way," I said. "If you're thinking of who I think you're thinking of there's no way! Don't you think he's hurt her enough?!"

"Look," Dad said. "I know how you feel, but he's really the only person that could help her."

"Gaara's the reason she's in this mess," I said angrily. "What do you suggest we do? Tie him to a chair until he accepts Suki's feelings?"

"Not at all," he said with a smile. "As I recall, you said Suki never told him how she felt. She suffering more than she would if she had told him and he let her down easy."

"I don't understand your logic old man," I muttered, putting my hands in my pockets. Dad's smile grew. "That's because you've never been in love with someone," he said.

Before I could come up with a retort, the doorbell rang. I looked at him with confusion, since we weren't expecting anyone. A part of me wondered if he had invited Gaara, but since my father was looking at me with equal confusion I figured he didn't have any idea who that was. He got up to answer it as I sighed and leaned against the wall again.

"Excuse me," said a woman's voice. "Is this the Nara residence?"

"SHIKAMARU," came my father's booming cry. I walked to the front door, confused as to why he had suddenly become so angry. "Explain yourself," he shouted as I walked into the room. My eyes widened as I saw a woman, at least six or seven months pregnant standing in the door way. I had recognized her from somewhere, but I couldn't really remember where.

"What are you talking about," I asked. My father turned to me and pointed straight at the woman. "Don't play dumb," he said angrily. "Now explain yourself!" The woman and I looked at each other wide eyed once the two of us realized he thought I was her unborn child's father. "No way," I shouted. "You don't think that I…"

"Look son," Dad yelled. "I know when you go away on a mission you can get lonely but that doesn't mean you can do whatever or whomever you come across!"

"What is going on out here," Mom said as she walked out of the kitchen. She looked at the woman in the door way with shock and looked over at my father. "Shikaku," she shouted. "What is the meaning of this?!" I held back a smirk, knowing that the only thing that truly scared my father was my mother on the war path.

"Please don't look at me like that," Dad said. "It's not what you're thinking…"

"Like hell it is," Mom shouted. "Don't blame this on your son! Don't think I don't remember that mission you had to go on seven months ago! Did you get so cold you had to find yourself someone to warm you up?! I'll bet you never even told her you had a wife and two kids at home!"

"Why in the world would I go look for another troublesome woman," my father shouted. "I already have one nag at home; it's for damn sure I don't need another!"

"Like I'd believe that," Mom yelled back. "How many others have you done since we've been married? Thirty? Forty?! And now you've gotten one pregnant!"

"There seems to be a misunderstanding," the woman whispered.

"Shut up," Mom shouted now turning her anger on the woman instead. "I didn't say you could talk…you seduced my husband you harlot!"

"I keep telling you," Dad said angrily. "I didn't do anything like that..."

It was then that a strange sound emitted from the other room. Suki stumbled in, clutching her sides, howling with laughter. She fell to the ground, unable to contain herself. "What's wrong with her," Mom asked.

"Isn't it obvious," Dad said. "She knows what's going on."

"I'm glad she's amused by all of this," I said with a smirk.

"Dam-damn right," she said, still clutching her sides and rolling on the ground. "I-it's ju-just so funny!" Everyone stared at her in amazement. For the first time in almost five months…my sister spoke. I was beginning to think I would never hear her voice again.

"First Dad thought Shika…then Mom…bwahahahaha!" Suki was now pounding her fist into the ground repeatedly, calming down just a bit. I smiled, happy that my sister was finally in a good mood. Then again, since she was my sister and I hadn't gotten to annoy her for a very long time…

I pounced on my younger sibling and began to tickle her without mercy. She wasn't exactly ticklish, but I knew just where to get her. "Start explaining," I said. "Or else…"

"No," Suki said, laughing her head off again. "No! Stop…I'll talk!" I rolled off her as she tried to get her bearings. After a few deep breathes she sat up and gave me a hug. "You know I'm going to get you for that later right," she asked as I hugged her back.

"Yup," I said. "God it's good to hear your voice again Suki…"

"Suki," the woman said while walking over to her. "I'm glad that you're better…"

"Well it's obvious that you know Suki," Dad said. "But the question is how?"

"Mom, Dad," she said. "This is Hana, she just moved to the village." Realization hit me as I looked at the woman. "You're the one I saw at the village gates," I said. "That's where I remember you from."

"Yes," Hana said.

"I'm sorry," Mom whispered. "I said things that I shouldn't have…"

"That's true," Dad said while looking at her with a smile. "Now will you believe me when I say that you're the only troublesome one I want?"

"Maybe," she said with a smile. The two of them kissed each other right in front of us. "That's just gross," I muttered. Suki nodded and stuck out her tongue. "It's really weird to see those two like that," she said. "I'm so used to them yelling at one another…"

"Are they really always like that," Hana asked.

"Yup," Suki answered. "So what's up?"

"I stopped by because I was just at Lady Tsunade's office and she sent me over to tell you that she needs you to stop by," Hana said. "She says it's important."

"So she's sending you to do your dirty work eh," I asked with a smirk.

"Hey," Hana said with a smile. "I've got a kid to support with another one on the way. I don't have a proper job so Lady Tsunade's offered to pay me for odd jobs."

"She must want to see me about a mission," Suki muttered. "Joy…"

"I'm sure it won't be as bad as all that," Hana said with a smile. Suki shrugged, and then got up to go. "What about dinner," Mom asked. "You should eat something…"

"Sorry," Suki said. "I promise I'll come by soon though."

"Hey," Dad said once she was about to walk out the door. "I'm glad you're talking again…I was worried about you." Suki smiled and threw her arms around the old man. "I know Dad," she whispered. "I love you." The man smiled and patted her head. "I love you too," he said. "Now get a move on; Tsunade isn't known for her patience." Suki smiled and gave a small wave before leaving.

Suki's POV

I walked to Lady Tsunade's office with a small smile on my face. It had been a long time since I had laughed like that and it awakened something inside me. Perhaps it was because for the longest time I hadn't felt anything but anguish since I got back. I felt that there was no happiness left, but after a good laugh like that I felt as though a large weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I knew I still wasn't a hundred percent better, but I was now better than I had been for a very long time.

"Lady Tsunade," I said while entering her office. "I was told that you wanted to speak with me." She stared at me wide eyed, obviously astounded that I had said something. "Well, look who's talking again," she said with a smirk. "How did this happen?"

"Long story," I said. "Now what is it that you wanted?"

"We have a very important client coming soon," she said while sitting at her desk. "He's got a lot of important meetings in the surrounding areas and will need to be watched morning, noon, and night."

"Just how long is this 'client' staying," I asked, feeling my heart pound a bit. This client…just who was he? From the looks of it, it sounded like he was a Lord, or someone of higher rank. Oh God, it couldn't be Gaara could it?

"He's staying a month," Lady Tsunade answered. I shook my head. "What makes you think I'm qualified for this," I said. Tsunade looked at me with slight confusion. "You're perfectly qualified for something like this, in fact you're over qualified," she said. "I probably would have put you on this job even if he hadn't asked for you by name."

"H-he asked for me," I asked, shock now taking over my body. Tsunade nodded and I felt a little faint. The only person that would ask for me by name was Gaara, I was sure of it. Why would he do that though? I hadn't seen him for four months and the way I left wasn't exactly conventional was it?

"Suki are you feeling alright," Lady Tsunade asked. I felt myself grow dizzier and the room started to spin. I felt myself begin to fall back wards just as the door to Tsunade's office was opened. There was the pounding of feet as someone ran towards me and caught me before I hit the ground.

"You know," a familiar voice said. "I believe this is the second time I've stopped you from falling…"

"Kusanagi?!" I half shrieked as I looked into his brown eyes. They seemed to be laughing at me as he just smiled. "Hello again Ms. Nara," he said while helping me stand again. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"Don't tell me he's…" I started. Tsunade merely nodded and seemed to find this whole affair amusing. "That's right," she said. "For the next month you'll be sticking to Lord Kusanagi like glue."

"Why did he ask for me," I asked in a loud voice.

"You could just ask him yourself," Tsunade said. "He is standing right there you know!" Kusanagi laughed a little and shook his head. "I really don't mind," he said. "I'll probably have to get used to it."

"You'll have to get used to a lot if you're choosing to work with her," Lady Tsunade said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes and glared at her. "Well thanks a lot," I muttered. "I'm glad that I'm appreciated around here."

"At times yes," Tsunade said, her smirk growing. "Regardless, you'll be following Lord Kusanagi for the next month." I nodded and turned to Kusanagi. "Would you mind it if we stopped by my place," I asked. "I should probably pick up some clothes and stuff."

"That's fine with me," he said while opening Tsunade's office door. "After you."

"This ones a real gentleman," Lady Tsunade said. "Make a note to watch out for that Suki." I smiled at her. "I won't get used to it if that's what you're worried about," I said with a smirk. Tsunade laughed and shook her head as I left the office with Kusanagi.

"Why did you ask for me anyway," I said as Kusanagi and I walked towards the apartment I shared with Shikamaru. He smiled a little and shrugged. "I'd rather not say," he whispered. I looked at him confused, wondering if I had heard him correctly. "What?"

"The last time I saw you I could tell you were a more than competent ninja," he said. "Add that to the fact that you were passionate about helping Hana and kept your word about helping her, I felt there was no one else I could trust."

"How did you know I was available though," I asked.

"Hana wrote to me," Kusanagi said. "You also never contacted me about that engagement party I wanted to throw you two…"

"Sorry about that," I said with a small blush.

"Don't be," he said. "It's me who should be saying that I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Because I know what it's like to be dumped," Kusanagi answered with a small smirk.

"Hey," I said angrily. "What makes you think I didn't dump his sorry ass?" Kusanagi's smirk grew. "Ha," he said. "Do I look that naïve to you? That man made your eyes brighten and your smile could have lit up a room. I know love when I see it."

I felt myself blush a little before looking away from him. Okay, so maybe Gaara had had an effect on me; although, we were never together in the first place. Yes, I had loved Gaara. In fact I knew I still did, but that didn't change the fact that he was in love with Matsuri. That good for nothing…God, I know I really should hate her because she was a nice girl, but that didn't change the fact that she was now with the one person I loved.

"When did you start talking again anyway," Kusanagi asked. I sighed and shook my head. "You knew about that too," I said while looking over at him. "What didn't your sister-in-law tell you?"

"She didn't tell me that you were more beautiful than the last time I saw you," he said with a smile. Another blush rose to my cheeks before I smirked at him. "Smooth talker, aren't you," I said. "Okay, I'll bite. Who put you up to that one Lord Kusanagi?"

"I'll have you know I came up with that one all by myself," he answered. "I also recall once asking you to call me Kei…" I had almost forgotten that was like this. He didn't think of himself as higher than someone; he treated you as an equal and was pretty good at coming back with a retort. I had to say that I liked that about him and found it refreshing.

"Well Kusanagi," I said. "I'm afraid that you're going to have to keep asking me because I'm not going to."

"What if I made you," he asked.

"I'd love to see you try," I said with a smirk. He smirked right back at me. "Well then I'll order you too," Kusanagi said, his voice becoming dangerously seductive. It sent a shiver down my spine. "As far as I know I can still do that…besides, having you call me Lord Kusanagi is much too stuffy. It makes me sound much older than twenty six."

"I don't usually take orders," I said, giving him a flirty look. "But for the sake of peace, I'll let you order me only three times. They come with two conditions; one being that you can't order me to give you more orders. The second being that if you ordered me to do something I found morally wrong, I reserve the right to refuse it."

"This is going to be a very interesting month," Kusanagi said as I took out the key to Shikamaru's apartment. "You wouldn't let this one slide since you used to call me by my first name?"

"Fine," I said, pretending to be aggravated. "I'll call you Kei."

"Now was that so hard?"

"Very," I said before opening the door. I walked in after Kei and bumped into Choji as he was coming out of the kitchen. "Sorry Suki," he said while helping me up from the ground. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. "What are you doing here?" Choji almost dropped to the ground after hearing me talk. "You…when…how," he said. I smiled at him and shook my head. "A little while ago," I answered. "While I was visiting my parents."

"I'm glad," Choji said before pulling me in for a tight hug. "You know I thought today was the day you went to see your mom and dad…Shikamaru called and invited me over."

"So he came home after I left eh," I asked. Choji nodded and hugged me again, almost crushing me. I could see Kei watching with a small look of jealousy and resentment, although I had no idea why he would feel that way. "Easy big fella," I said with a smile. "I can't really breathe…"

"Sorry," Choji said while letting me go. "I'm just happy that you're talking again."

"I know," I said.

"Hey Suki," Shikamaru said as he walked into the room. "Who's this guy?" He pointed the Kei and Kei sighed. "I'm beginning to see a pattern here," Kei said. "You must be Suki's brother." Shikamaru nodded and then looked back at me. "Again, who is this guy," Shika asked.

"Don't be so rude Shika," I said while walking over to Kei. "This is Lord Kusanagi. I'm going to be his personal guard for the next month." Shikamaru looked from me to Kei and back to me again. "So you brought him around to show off," Shika asked with a smirk.

"You know that I had no idea what my mission was going to be," I said. "I need some clothes and things since I'm going to be busy for the next month."

"Well if it gets you out of the house than fine," Shikamaru said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and smiled at my brother. He was a pain, but I still loved him. "Is there anything specific I should bring," I asked Kei.

"Well seeing as how most of the meetings I will be attending are merely formalities to keep up appearances, but there is a large party I've been invited to," Kei answered. "I would appreciate it if you wore that lovely kimono I saw you in…"

Both Shikamaru and Choji burst into a fit of laughter. "Jerks," I muttered while grabbing a bag. Kei looked at the two confused. "I don't understand," he said. "Am I missing an inside joke or something?"

"It's just…Suki wearing a kimono," Shikamaru said, trying to catch his breath. "She hates anything like that with a passion."

"Remember the time she was invited to that really suave birthday party for Hinata," Choji asked with a huge grin. Shikamaru began laughing again. "Oh God," he laughed. "Mom almost killed her!"

"What happened," Kei asked curiously.

"We were only six at the time," Shikamaru explained, a smile still present on his lips. "Suki was very upset over the fact that she had to wear a kimono that day and it took forever for mom to get her into the damn thing. At the party, a few of the kids insulted Hinata and since Suki is such a good friend of hers, she took them all on by herself. Because of the fight, the kimono was ruined beyond repair and extremely dirty."

"Really," Kei said. "I hope that she didn't get hurt too badly…"

"Are you kidding," Choji said. "Suki was the one that got out of that fight with barely a scratch. When it comes to her friends, Suki will defend them with her last breath."

"That is an admirable quality to have," Kei said in a low voice.

"It's the way she's been most of her life," Shikamaru said. "Once you're stuck with her as a friend, she won't let anything bad happen to you."

"She's sort of like Naruto in that respect isn't she," Choji said. Shikamaru smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but not as annoying," he said.

"I can hear you guys talking you know," I said while walking out of the room Shikamaru was reluctantly sharing with me. "I'll tell Naruto what you said as well. Hinata won't like it either."

"Hinata would agree with me and you know it," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah," I said sarcastically. "She wouldn't kick your ass from here to kingdom come after you insulted her boyfriend."

"Enjoy the month you have to spend with that one," Shikamaru said to Kei. "She's not exactly agreeable, but she gets the job done."

"I think I can manage just fine," Kei said with a smile. "I can hold my own better than most."

"Then what do you need me for," I asked. Kei smiled at me. "I can handle you," he said. "I don't think I could handle an assassin on my own." I nodded and shrugged. "I don't think you could either," I said. "Now if you're done with these two jokers, I'm ready to go."

"You're too nice to us Suki," Shikamaru said with a smirk. "Anyway, if you're ready then get out of here. It would be nice to have the place to myself for a month."

"You're just going to walk around in your shorts again aren't you," I retorted. "Lazy bum…"

"Hey Choji," he said. "You want Suki to move in with you once she's done with this mission? I'll let you have her free of charge."

"I don't think your father would appreciate that Shikamaru," Choji said with a small smile. "I also don't think Suki would be happy about the arrangement either."

"I don't think Choji would be able to live with me anyway," I said. "I know you complain to him about me." Shikamaru glared at Choji, knowing that he had told me. "You ratted me out to my own sister didn't you," he said angrily.

"Don't get so mad Shikamaru," Choji mumbled. "She can be very persuasive…" My brother rolled his eyes at his best friend. "That's only if you let her get under your skin," he muttered.

"I know I have," Kei whispered in such a low tone I almost didn't hear him. I blushed a little at his words, but didn't say anything. "Well let's go," I said while throwing my bag over my shoulder. Kei followed me outside into the street. "Are you hungry at all," Kei asked. "We could get something to eat if you want…"

"I'm actually pretty hungry," I said. Although I hadn't realized it until he said something. I had been helping my mom cook dinner in the kitchen before I was told I about the mission so I hadn't eaten anything for a while now. "Good," Kei said. "Then we can discuss the mission in greater detail."

"That wouldn't exactly be wise, but if you'd like then I know a place we could go to where we won't be bothered. That is if you don't mind Ramen."

"I love it," he said with a smile.

"Good," I said. "Then you'll like Ichiraku."

It didn't surprise me that I saw a certain blonde eating to his hearts content at Ichiraku's. "Give me another bowl of the house special pops," Naruto said. I smirked a little, knowing he hadn't seen me, and I figured I may as well get on his nerves. I extended a shadow hand and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked to the left, away from me, and I used the shadow hand to pull the bowl of ramen to the far right.

"Hey," Naruto shouted while looking at the bowl. "How'd you get over there?!" He dove for the bowl and I pulled it the other way. "Now just a minute," Naruto said; he hadn't seen the shadow hand and still had no idea I was behind him. "Get back here!" I moved the bowl again and now Naruto was about to filibuster. Kei was trying his hardest to hold back his laughter as the ninja in front of him kept jumping from one end of the stand to the other, trying his hardest to get to his precious bowl of ramen.

"GAH," Naruto shouted, diving for his bowl one more time. "That's it! Shadow clone jutsu!" There was now an extra Naruto on the other end of the stall, making a grab for the ramen. "Now what," Kei asked me. I smiled at him and pulled the bowl towards myself. "Huh," Naruto said as I grabbed hold of the bowl. "SUKI! Give that back!" I laughed and handed the bowl of ramen to Naruto.

"Yeah well," I said. "Next time don't stick me with your bill."

"You were the one that kicked my butt in training," Naruto said.

"Oh really, and I thought that it was the winner that was treated by the loser," I said.

"I wonder if that makes me the loser," Kei whispered with a small smirk. I looked at him and shook my head. "Not at all," I said. "I wasn't expecting you to pay anyway. This isn't a date, its business."

"Hey," Naruto said, something clicking into place in his brain. "When did you start talking again anyway? Hinata told me you still weren't talking the last time she saw you…"

"Just had to say something today I guess," I said with a smile.

"Wasn't because of tall dark and handsome over there is it," Naruto asked.

"And if it was," Kei asked. I looked at him, stunned; I hadn't expected him to say that. "You want the truth I'd rather it was someone else," Naruto muttered. "But I guess that won't happen unless someone admits something to someone else."

"I don't know what you're driving at Naruto," I said a little angrily. "But for your information, it wasn't Kei who got me to start talking again. I just started laughing at a huge misunderstanding my family had."

"You know damn well what I'm driving at," Naruto answered. "Not that it matters any. Who is this stiff anyway?"

"Naruto," I shouted. "You can be a real jerk you know?!"

"It's alright Suki," Kei said. "My name is Kei Kusanagi. I'm here because I've enlisted Suki's help as a guard."

"What you need an escort home," Naruto asked with a smug look. God I wanted to punch him for being so stupid…

"No," Kei answered. "I need her as an escort for the next month during certain meetings."

"Let me guess, you're a merchant trying to drum up business…"

"I'm the Lord of the Land of Rivers actually," he said. That shut Naruto up. I felt myself smirk a little as Kei and I sat down. "He's kidding around right Suki," Naruto said, taking his seat next to me. "Right?!"

"Sorry," I answered. "He's really not."

"Tsunade is going to kill me," Naruto mumbled.

"Only if she finds out," I said. "Then again, if you ruin our contacts with the Land of Rivers, she will kill you."

"It's a good thing I'm not going to be around for a week or so," he said. "I'm escorting Temari back to Suna tomorrow." I froze as I looked at Naruto. "Temari was here," I whispered. Naruto nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I thought you knew. She even hung out with Shikamaru a couple times. He didn't tell you?"

"No," I whispered. "I didn't know…"

"Should I be worried about this," Kei asked me. I shook my head. "No," I said with a smile. "I'm fine." Kei nodded, and didn't question me any further.

The two of us ate in silence; Kei probably thinking that something was wrong with me while my thoughts dwelled on why Temari didn't even stop by and say hello to me. It was more than likely Shikamaru's idea and I couldn't blame him for it. I probably would have grabbed hold of her and cried until there weren't any tears left. Temari had always been the sort of older sister I had never had, and she helped me a lot when I broke up with Neji. Then again, since she never knew about my feelings for her little brother I doubted she could help me at all.

"You've been quiet for a while now," Kei said. I realized we were outside his hotel room and I felt myself blush a bit. The thought of staying in the same room with this man for an entire month made me wonder if perhaps this man had something more sinister up his sleeve. I shook my head, knowing Kei wasn't like that. He was a kind man with a set of morals, although he was a bit of a flirt. Not that I minded that much…

"Sorry," I said as he opened the door. "I was just thinking…" I walked into the lavish room and tossed my bag onto one of the chairs. "While you sleep in the bed," I said as I began to unpack. "I'll be either staying up all night or grabbing a few cat naps in one of these chairs. I will also be rigging the windows with either a trip wire or a small paper bomb and more than likely I'll do the same with the door there."

"You can sleep in the bed you know," Kei said.

"I only see one bed and I'm not that easy to take advantage of," I said with a small smirk. Kei laughed. "If you were I wouldn't see the point of pursuing you," he said.

"You like a challenge then," I asked. He nodded with a small smirk. "Especially when the challenge is as beautiful as you," he said. I rolled my eyes with a small smile. "Does that work on the ladies back home," I asked with a laugh. Kei folded his arms and shrugged. "Not many of them really appealed to me," he answered. "They knew who I was and didn't possess much of a challenge, if any."

"Would you rather I fawned over you like they did, Lord Kusanagi," I asked. I walked over to him and draped my arms over his shoulders, batting my eyes at him. Kei shook his head and took my arms off him. "I really don't like it when women do that," he said. "It's not only irritating but it sickens me to see a woman like that. When a woman is like that, she's only after one thing, your status or your money. In my case it's both."

"Well I'm not interested in either," I said. "You're an assignment and that's what I'm going to treat you as."

"I do wish you wouldn't," Kei said. I folded my arms with a small smirk. "Would you rather I treated you like a pampered lord then, because I can," I said. Kei shook his head with a slight smile. "I'd rather you treated me as a man," he whispered, lightly stroking my left cheek with the back of his hand. His brown eyes bored right into mine with some emotion I couldn't place. Not being able to take it any longer I blushed and looked away, feeling my heart pound a little. Well this was going to be an interesting month…

"You're very pretty when you blush like that," Kei said with a smile. My blush deepened as I glared at him slightly. "Cut it out," I said. "This is a working relationship, nothing more and nothing less."

"Speaking of," he said. "I'll need to introduce you as something to the others so they won't suspect anything."

"You hired me, so what do you propose," I asked. "Are you planning on saying I'm your sister?" Kei laughed a little while shaking his head. "They would never believe you were my sister since we look nothing alike," he said. "I was thinking more along the lines of girlfriend…that way it ensures we stay together at all times and it gets that other Lord off my back about the engagement…"

"Awww," I said. "Does he want to marry you?"

"Very funny," Kei said sarcastically. "The pudgy toad wants to pawn his daughter off on me. I wouldn't mind it as much if only…"

"She's as ugly as her father," I finished for him.

"Actually she's quite stunning," Kei said. "It's just that she's the kind that's only interested in money…not only that but she's a spoiled brat that believes she's better than everyone else. If I can prove to her father I have someone else he'll leave me alone."

"So you want me to pass as a steady girlfriend," I said. "Sounds like I'll have my work cut out for me." Kei smirked. "And here I thought I wasn't that bad to look at," he said. I nodded and smirked back at him. "Oh yes," I said sarcastically. "It's a wonder you have any mirrors left at your place. It's just that I'm not used to playing the girlfriend; I'm more the sister or daughter type. I'm also not usually used in these sorts of missions. I'm used to reconnaissance and obtaining information through either torture or seduction."

"I'm sure you're good at both," Kei said in a sort of seductive tone. Instead of backing down like I probably should have, I pushed him down on the bed behind him, straddled his waist and pinned his hands above his head. "You should be careful," I whispered in a tone that was as equally seductive. "In this position, I would go for torture while you're thinking you're about to get laid."

"If this is torture then strap me to the bed and have at me baby," Kei said, his eyes showing a hint of arousal. Now this had been more or less unexpected on my part. Here I was thinking he might back down, when in fact I was just egging him on even further. I had to say that a part of me liked the fact that he didn't back down.

"You would like that wouldn't you," I muttered while getting off him and letting him up. "You're not exactly discreet now are you?"

"No," Kei answered. "When I see something I want, I go for it; no holds barred." I was a little worried about this. Was he trying to say he wanted me or was he just generalizing? He knew this was a working relationship and that he shouldn't fall in love with me right? Or was he just looking for a one nighter? No…a one night stand didn't sound like something he would do, but I couldn't be too careful.

"So we've established that you'll be playing my girlfriend," Kei said, getting back to the mission itself. "Will you be able to play the part of my lover or is it too much for you?"

"I can handle it," I said. "As long as you can help keep up appearances then we'll be fine."

"What if something unexpected came up and we had to kiss," Kei whispered. "Would you be able to do it?"

"It's more than a possibility that we would have to," I said. "Especially if we're lovers that just started the romance. Is there something wrong?"

"I just don't want there to be any surprises is all," Kei said. "It seems to me that if we had to and haven't yet that we'd be very hesitant about it." That was true, but I felt there was nothing to really worry about. "You have to remember that I am trained for this sort of thing," I said. "So more than likely I won't be hesitant."

"Suki," Kei whispered, a small blush coloring his cheeks. "I'm ordering you to kiss me; that way I won't be as surprised if we were caught off guard."

"Worried I might not like it," I asked, smirking a little.

"I'm being serious here," he said, taking a few steps closer to me. "I have confidence in my abilities, but I don't know what to expect from your end so…" I could see where he was coming from and nodded. "Okay," I said. "I'll do it; but you have to kiss me first."

Kei nodded and wrapped an arm around my waist and placed his forefinger under my chin while his thumb gently grazed my lower lip. I felt myself blush a little as his slightly parted lips hovered a few millimeters away from mine. It seemed he wanted me to close the gap, but I was sort of shocked at this. Mustering some courage, I closed the space between us; not expecting very much. Man was I wrong to think that!

Something inside me stirred as my heart beat a little faster and electric shocks went through me. Kei really _was _good. I could feel my eyes roll back into my head as he licked my lower lip, asking if he could deepen the kiss. I found myself hesitating a little and just as I was about to accept his request, he pulled away with a small smirk.

"You hesitated," Kei whispered.

"Oh for…I'll show you hesitating," I growled before throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him in for another kiss. This one was deeper, and better than the first one. Jeez, how was this guy able to do this? Kei made me feel weak in the knees a little and I knew I was attracted to him physically…but this was rather unexpected.

"Do you think that will fool everyone," I asked, pulling away before things could get anymore heated. Kei was panting a little, still a bit out of breath. "It would fool even me," he answered. "I hadn't expected it to be so…"

"Good," I asked with a small smirk.

"Well that too," Kei said with a little laugh. "I meant to say forceful, but it was good none the less."

"You weren't so bad yourself," I said while unraveling myself from him and going back to my unpacking. Kei smirked at me and sat down in the chair opposite me. "Were you expecting worse," he asked with a smile. "I was married for two years you know. It wasn't exactly celibate; therefore I think I know just how to please a woman."

I gave him a seductive smile and shook my head a little. "I wouldn't know now would I," I said. "I haven't had the pleasure."

"I find that hard to believe," he said. "A gorgeous girl like you still pure…"

"I should rephrase that," I said. "I have had the pleasure, just not your pleasure."

"That could be easily rectified," Kei said with a flirty smile.

"I don't think so," I said, a little surprised that he would say something like that. "I don't mix business with pleasure. Never have, never will."

"Must be a boring life you lead," Kei said with a smirk. I smirked and shook my head. "It's all work and no play for me," I said with a laugh. Kei nodded with a small smile. "I know what that's like," he whispered. "I should probably change this shirt…It's got ramen on it."

"I didn't take you for a messy eater," I said with a smile.

"I'm not," Kei said as he took out a new shirt. "You're friend talked with his mouth open." I laughed, a little embarrassed. "That's Naruto all right," I said, turning to face Kei. I blushed when I realized he didn't have a shirt on. It surprised me, he wasn't as toned as the ninja's I knew but he still had some muscle to him. Kei looked back at me and I looked away as fast as I could.

"Like what you see," he asked with small smirk. I felt my blush grow as I shook my head profusely. "I've seen better," I lied. "Although I wasn't expecting you to be fit…"

"Would you rather I was some pudgy lord that sat on his laurels all day long or one that actually went out among his people to see what they needed," he asked seriously. I was sort of surprised by this; most men in his position didn't give a damn about what went on with his people. All they wanted was more money and more power. "I think I'm more attracted to the latter of the two," I mumbled.

"That's good," Kei said while taking a few steps towards me. "Because I find a certain free-spirited, dependable, passionate ninja very, _very_ attractive."

"She must be something if you have your eye on her," I said nervously. Kei place his forefinger under my chin and lifted my head so I could see his kind face. "Do you think it was a coincidence that I asked for you," he whispered. "I don't quite understand it but for some reason I haven't been able to get you out of my head since the day you fell out of that tree."

"What are you getting at," I squeaked. My face was red as I looked into his deep brown eyes. They looked sincere, and that made me a little scared. Kei was a good man; honest and kind. He was the sort any woman could fall for, even me. I couldn't say that I didn't like him that way but I was still afraid to open my heart to someone else.

"I'm saying that I like you Suki," he said. "I like you a lot…" With that said he placed a firm, sweet kiss on my lips. I almost keeled over again in shock, but thankfully Kei had his other arm around me and held me up. "I don't really know what to say," I whispered after finding my voice again.

"I wasn't expecting you to," Kei said while letting me go. "I know I probably shouldn't be doing this since you're still getting over the Kazekage and all…but I want to get to know you. Call me selfish, but I guess I kinda wanted to cut to the head of the line."

"What line," I asked, a little confused.

"The line of guys that are jumping at the chance to have a relationship with you," he answered with a small blush.

"Again, what line," I said. "I'm not that much of a prize, trust me. Not only that but we barely know each other…how can you like me?"

"Because you're much different than any other person I've met," Kei said seriously. "I've seen the qualities you have and I like them. Like I said before, I want to get to know you."

"How can you say something like that to someone as damaged as me," I whispered.

"I wouldn't call you damaged just because you and the Kazekage had a relationship that ended badly…personally I think he's brain dead for letting someone like you get away," he said.

"I wouldn't say that," I said. "Gaara's not brain dead..." On the other hand he could be completely oblivious to human emotions…

"I'm sorry," Kei said. "I know I shouldn't have said that…"

"Look, Gaara and I were never a couple," I said as a look of shock came over Kei's face. "We were good friends."

"What do you mean by 'were'," he asked curiously.

"I loved Gaara, more than I've ever loved anyone," I answered in a low voice. "The problem was that when I finally got up the courage to tell him he told me he was in love with someone else. After that I basically ran home without telling him. I left him a letter filled with lies so that he wouldn't think it was his fault but…I think he might blame himself since I haven't heard from him in four months."

"You still love him don't you?"

"No," I said while shaking my head. _Yeah right,_ a voice said in my head sarcastically. _You feel just as strongly as you did all those months ago; hell you still even dream about him._ I knew it was a lie, but I couldn't really face those feelings. I had to bury them deep down and forget about them.

Trouble is that it wasn't working that well at the moment. I needed some sort of distraction from them. Kei seemed to be the perfect distraction too…I found him attractive and I did like him. Maybe he could help.

"You're not a very good liar," he said with a small smile. "A wounded heart can take a long time to heal."

"Are you saying you could heal me," I asked with a smirk. Kei looked at me as though this wasn't a laughing matter. "Not exactly," he said. "You would have to be willing to get over him and willing to fall for someone else. I'm not interested in being a rebound."

"I understand that," I said. "I would rather not use someone like that anyway; but you should know that I think I'm starting to like you."

"It's probably just physical attraction," Kei said. I shook my head. "I think it's a little more than that," I mumbled, a little embarrassed. "You really seem to care for others and I like that in a person."

"That's more of a fault," Kei said with a laugh. "My mother used to say I always looked for the good in people; no matter how bad they were."

"I also like the fact that you're sincere," I said. "You're also kind and you're also protective."

"Are you trying to convince me that you like me or yourself?"

"I'm just stating the qualities I like about you, is that so bad," I asked, a little reserved. Kei smiled. "No," he said as I walked over to him and kissed his check.

"And that was for…?"

"If I have to play your girlfriend then you're going to have to get used to me acting like one," I answered with a smile.

"This is going to be one interesting month," he whispered before kissing my forehead.


	32. Chapter 32

Gaara's POV (A few days later)

An aggravated head ache crept up on me as I sat at my desk doing the usual paperwork. Didn't surprise me one bit, considering that it had been happening everyday at this time for the past four damn months. I knew the cause of it was because Suki left the way she did, but it still pissed me off none the less.

Why was I so angry? Even I didn't fully understand it myself, but I think it had to do with the outrageous jealousy I felt towards Neji coupled with the fact that I had had my chance and I did nothing. I chickened out at the last minute and now I had to live with it for the rest of my life. What's worse is that I still had yet to get a letter from Suki.

At first I thought it was because she was just making up for lost time with Neji, then I started to think that maybe it was because she had accepted his proposal and didn't have time for me at all. It wasn't as if I hadn't tried to write her…hell I had thousands of pieces of paper that were the start of letters that I never finished. The reason I never finished them is because it felt so futile. I felt that the message she left me before she left was a permanent goodbye. Sort of an end to our friendship as a whole.

I chucked my pen across my desk as anger decided to team up with despair and tag team me. "Still in a foul mood I see," Kankuro said as walked into the office. I glared at him as he sauntered over to my desk. "What do you want," I asked angrily.

"Nothing," he answered with a shrug. "Just wondered what you've been up to. Haven't seen you much these past few weeks; didn't even hear you come in last night."

"That's because I never went home," I stated.

"Spent the night at Matsuri's again," Kankuro asked, a small amount of anger present in his voice.

"On another one of your quests to try and fix me," I retorted. "Because I'm really not in the mood."

"No," he answered. "I already told you that I washed my hands of this whole affair four months ago."

"That still hasn't stopped you from opening your big mouth," I muttered. Kankuro gave me a dangerous smirk. "I don't give a shit about what you do anymore," he said. "Temari, on the other hand does; since she put me in charge of looking out for you while she's gone. And I might just let it slip that you've been using Matsuri for your own personal pleasure."

"And that's supposed to scare me," I asked.

"She'd ream you a new one little brother," Kankuro whispered darkly. "And I think I might enjoy seeing her beat some sense into you."

"What business is it of yours who I sleep with anyway," I said, not denying the fact that my relationship with Matsuri had turned into something carnal. I really could care less if he knew about it anyway. The relationship I had was purely physical, nothing more and nothing less.

"Sleeping with someone else to get the girl you love out of your head isn't exactly healthy; I should know," Kankuro said. "My concern lies with Matsuri because she really likes you Gaara and she doesn't exactly keep your relationship secret."

"Matsuri knows that I don't love her," I said. "I've explained to her that it was a misunderstanding." Which was entirely true; after my so called 'conversation' with Kankuro that night, I went after Matsuri and explained to her that I was really in love with Suki. I told her about how I became too afraid to tell Suki my feelings and that I lied to her.

Instead of slapping me across the face like I had expected her to do, Matsuri said that she could help me gather my courage and help me practice. She would use a transformation jutsu to change into Suki and I would profess my true feelings. Matsuri would then tell me that she loved me as well, in Suki's form and with Suki's voice of course.

One night it sort of got out of hand because I found myself believing that it really was Suki I was talking to. I found myself waking up next to Matsuri the next morning after a night of heated passion. An overwhelming guilt consumed me and I blamed myself for it. I apologized, and told her it wouldn't happen again, but it did. Repeatedly, I might add.

I told Matsuri that I wanted to end it about two months ago, only to have her say that if Suki didn't reject my feelings then we would end up sleeping together. She then told me that I may as well get in as much practice as I could if I wanted to please Suki more than Neji ever did. That was how it all started. Although I didn't really see the point in it. When ever in Suki's form Matsuri never really did anything; she just lay there giving half hearted moans of satisfaction.

"Whatever," Kankuro said as Matsuri walked in with some paperwork. "It's your life, screw it up as much as you want. I'll be going now." With that said, he left the office and Matsuri looked at me a little confused. "What was that about," she asked.

"Nothing," I said while getting up from my chair and walking towards her. "We need to talk Matsuri."

"About," she asked while placing the papers on my desk.

"I think we need to end this," I said. Matsuri looked at me with shock, obviously not expecting this. "I thought you wanted to," she whispered. "I thought that you were getting over her…" I looked at her confused. "Getting over her," I asked as realization started to hit. "You were using Suki to get to me?"

"I only did it because I love you Gaara," Matsuri said angrily. "I want to be with you; don't you understand that she will never love you?" I stiffened at her words and glared in her direction. "Get out," I shouted at her. "Just get out!"

"Fine," Matsuri said, tears in her eyes. "If you don't want to face the facts then it's you're loss." With that she stormed out just as Temari was walking in with Naruto. "What was that about," Naruto asked.

"Looked like a lovers quarrel to me," Temari muttered. "Did you finally break it off with her?"

"Does everyone know everything about my life," I asked sourly.

"Gaara I'm your sister, not stupid. Just because I didn't say anything doesn't mean I didn't figure it out," she said.

"It's not any of your business," I answered. "But since I know you're going to keep harassing me about it then yes. I did."

"I'm not so sure I get what this was all about," Naruto said. "But…"

"I'm glad you've ended the relationship then," Temari said, ignoring the fact that Naruto was talking. "Because sleeping with her wasn't the best idea; it certainly wouldn't have made you feel better."

"He was WHAT," Naruto shouted, not sure whether or not to look at Temari or me. "What the hell Gaara?!"

"My love life isn't any of your business Naruto," I said. "Why are you here anyway? I know Temari could have made it back here on her own…"

"I'm here because of what's going on," Naruto answered. "I need you to come back with me!"

"Why," I asked. I didn't understand what he was talking about. "Suki needs you," Naruto shouted. "You have to come back with me before she does something stupid!"

"I don't…what are you saying," I said. "She's with Neji isn't she? What did the bastard do?!" I should never have let her go back to him…I should have gone after her. He hurt her again didn't he? I should have known he would do something like that…

"What are you talking about," Naruto asked, interrupting my train of thought. "Those two haven't been together since they broke up months ago." I stared at him with shock and shook my head. "No," I said. "She said that she was going back to him…"

"Are you kidding me," Naruto said with a laugh. "She can't stand Neji! Once she got back to the village she wouldn't talk to anyone. For four months she's been unable to say a word because she's been so depressed."

"Now I know you're lying," I whispered. "There's no way she would stay silent for four months."

"He's not lying," Temari said. "Shikamaru told me the same thing…Suki has a tendency to clam up when she's really upset. I've seen it happen before."

"I haven't," I murmured. "She never told me that sort of thing."

"She doesn't tell people about a lot of things," Naruto said softly. "She doesn't really trust people that much…anyway; you have to come back with me." I shook my head. "I don't see how I could help," I said. "I've never seen her like that so I wouldn't know what to do."

"Well…" Naruto said while scratching the back of his head. "That's not exactly why I want to take you back with me. She's talking again it's just that…" I looked at my blond friend and folded my arms, hoping he would come to a point soon. Yes the fact that Suki had been miserable these past few months upset me, not to mention the fact that hearing that she wasn't with Neji made me want to do cartwheels around the office. What stopped that? Two things; one: my dignity wouldn't allow it, and two: Suki lied to me about going back to Neji.

Why did she do that? If she had wanted to go home she could have just said so. I wasn't holding her here against her will or anything…I had just wanted to spend more time with her. Suki meant everything to me and I rarely got the chance to see her. Although now I doubted I would ever see her again.

"Gaara are you even listening," Temari asked.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I was just thinking about something…besides, the reason I don't think I can help is because Suki doesn't love me." In a flash Naruto had me up against a wall, his fists gripping the front of my shirt as he lifted me off the ground just a bit.

"You IDIOT," Naruto shouted. "Suki not love you?! That's like me saying Hinata doesn't love me! Then again, since Suki's risked her life to save yours so many times must mean that she doesn't love you right? That time she pushed you out of harms way from the guy with the swords on his back while everyone was trying to save Matsuri was just an accident. Suki almost got herself killed that day because she must have slipped up. When you died and she held onto your body while crying her eyes out must mean that she doesn't care at all about you…hell the fact that she went running out there to save you when she wasn't even apart of the mission means that she hates you right?"

"I don't…" I mumbled.

"Tell her you love her," Naruto shouted. "Do it before that Kusanagi guy makes a move and…"

"Kusanagi," I interrupted. "As in Kei Kusanagi? Lord of the Land of Rivers?"

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Suki's his personal guard for a month…if you ask me it looks like he's sweet on her." Shock took over my body as Naruto put me down. I searched for some sort of feeling but found none. I felt nothing except this growing feeling of despair.

I had seen the way Kei Kusanagi looked at her. It wasn't hard for me to notice the looks of lust he through her way. Not all of it was lust though; I felt he genuinely cared for her on some level, but it still annoyed me. He made me jealous, and the knowledge of Suki being with him would break me.

"I actually followed them both back to his hotel room," Naruto said. "I would have listened at the door but I think Suki might have noticed me…" He scratched the back of his head and continued talking as I stared off into space, not hearing a word he said. Was Suki…sleeping with him?

I gripped my hair in a fist at the thought. Images of her body intertwined with his filled my head. I closed my eyes with an inaudible groan as the images became increasingly graphic. The two of them touching…kissing…licking…nibbling…moaning. _No,_ I thought. _No one is allowed to touch her!_ Sand particles swirled around me in different directions as I became angry, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

The side of my fist hit the wall behind me as I let out a loud growl. Opening my eyes, I saw both Temari and Naruto looking at me with a little fear in there eyes. "Gaara," Temari whispered. "Your hand…it's bleeding." I pulled my fist from the hole I had made in the wall and saw that there was now a large gash where my hand had made contact with the wall.

"Does it matter," I whispered back with a low chuckle.

"Dude," Naruto said. "You never bleed…I thought you had that sand armour or whatever."

"My sand has a mind of its own," I muttered. "At first I thought it only wanted to protect me, but when I first met Suki it saved her without any conscious order from me. It reacts to her differently than to other people; where as with most people my sand wants to defend me and keep them away, with her it wants to pull her closer and feels the need to defend her as well. It likes having her around…"

"Yeah but what has that got to do with…"

"I was just thinking of Suki with Kusanagi," I said, interrupting Naruto. "While most of me wanted to take her away and protect her, a small part of me wanted to kill her because I felt betrayed. What you saw was mere confusion; the sand wanted to protect her, yet it also felt murderous intent at the same time. I guess it was angry with me because of it and decided not to stop me from hurting myself."

"I've never heard of your sand doing something like that before…you must really love her," Temari said softly before taking my injured hand. "We've got to take care of this anyway." She pulled out a bandage and wrapped it tightly around my hand, making sure it was covered properly.

"You know," she said in a soft tone. "I saw Shikamaru while I was visiting the Leaf Village. We talked for a little bit about how Suki was doing. He told me that the only person who was ever able to get Suki to talk again couldn't. He then said that there was one other person who might be able to help her. Do you know who he said Gaara?"

"Kusanagi," I muttered.

"No," Temari said a little miffed. "You; you idiot. Suki really needs you right now and I think you should go to her."

"It seems to me that Suki just needs Kusanagi," I said angrily. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to take a walk."

"But Gaara," Naruto whined.

"No," I said as I walked towards the door. "I am sick and tired of everyone meddling in my feelings. Let Suki do whatever the hell she wants to do."

With that I left my office, not really going anywhere in particular. My feet seemed to be my only guide as my mind processed all that had just happened. Feelings of anger and despair filled my body as an irreparable ache settle into the area of my chest. I felt a painful void in my heart and knew it would never go away. If being in love with someone was supposed to be the most wonderful feeling on Earth, then why did it hurt so much? How could I still love her after what she did?

Suki lied to me about going back to Neji and was now with that Kusanagi. Sure she had a mission with the guy but I wouldn't put it past him to do something sneaky. He probably requested her or something to that effect. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if he was just trying to get in her pants…

While that thought did anger me, there was nothing I could do. I had to stop caring so much about Suki. It was obvious by her recent actions that she didn't love me that way and I had to come to terms with that. I had to let go.

Not even realizing I had reached my subconscious' destination, I found myself in front of Matsuri's place. I debated with whether or not to go in there. Yes I had ended things with her and didn't want to start things up again, I couldn't deny that I wanted to feel that sense of euphoria she gave me; small as it was.

The only thing I wanted right now was to talk to someone and she was the only person I could talk to at the moment. Temari and Naruto were the reason I was in this state so there was no sense in talking to them. Had I gone to Kankuro he would have either told me he didn't give a fuck or he'd yell at me to go after Suki. The only other option besides Matsuri was Sumi, but I couldn't go to her because she had left the village for good; which was probably the main reason for Kankuro's horrid mood swings as of late.

"So are you just going to stand there all night or come in," Matsuri said angrily as she leaned against the doorframe to her small apartment. She had probably seen me while passing a window since I had been standing here long enough.

"I don't really know," I whispered while walking towards her. "Look, I just need to talk to someone and there's no one else I can talk to." Matsuri frowned and nodded slightly before letting me into her house. "What is it," she asked a little angrily as I sat on her living room sofa.

"I…realized that you were right earlier," I whispered as she stood in front of me. "My feelings for Suki are one-sided at best." Matsuri seemed smirk a little at my recognition. "And what made you figure this out," she asked.

"I found out that she lied to me about going back to her ex-boyfriend," I said in a low voice. "I don't know why she did, and it hurts to know she didn't tell me the real reason why."

"Well I can't tell you why she did what she did," Matsuri said while coming closer to me. "But I have a feeling that if she loved you, she would have stayed." I nodded slowly, having had the same thought.

"I know that rejection hurts Gaara," she said, kneeling in front of me with a lusty look in her eyes. "I know it's difficult, but sometimes it helps if someone is there to help sooth that pain…" Matsuri leaned forward and kissed me on the lips lightly.

Her boldness shocked me and my sand reacted just as quickly as she had kissed me. It pushed her back at least an arms length and I looked at her slightly angered. "No," I muttered. "This isn't the reason why I came."

"I know," Matsuri whispered seductively. "It's just that I wanted to help you feel better…you feel like you're lower than low right now right? That the only thing that ever made you happy is gone from your life and there's nothing but anger and despair right?"

I nodded a little, not really understanding where she was going with this.

"Then let me help you feel something again," Matsuri practically purred. "I know that we ended things before hand and I'm not looking to start them up again. I just want to help."

"Fine."

_I awoke in Matsuri's room and sat up. Clothes that had been haphazardly torn off each others bodies lay strewn about the floor. Matsuri lay next to me with a small smile on her face as she slept. Judging from the darkness in her room, it was well past midnight by now. It was for damn sure I didn't want to be here when she woke up._

_I felt so disgusting I didn't think a thousand showers with scalding hot water would clean me. Why I had decided to sleep with Matsuri again I didn't have the slightest clue. Okay, maybe that was a lie; I had wanted to feel something other than the deep depressing pit I had been thrown into. Thing was, after that short euphoric climax it was back to that pit along with the deepest hatred of ones self for being so stupid. I had to get out of here…_

_Just as I was about to throw the blankets off me and grab my clothes I heard some movement in the shadows in front of me. I shot sand at the shadowy form I saw only to have the sand spread it about like a mist and heard laughter. It was faintly familiar…_

"_Hello," said a seductive female voice. "I do hope that I'm not intruding…although I must say I'm glad to finally meet you dear, sweet, Kazekage of the Sand."_

"_Show yourself," I shouted angrily. The laugh came again as the form became more solid and a woman with black hair stepped into the moonlight streaming from the bedroom window. "Suki," I whispered._

_She smiled and flipped her hair behind one shoulder. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight, and her eyes were black as the night sky itself. She was wearing a blue kimono that left little to the imagination…the sleeves had been pushed off over her shoulders revealing most of her upper chest and the edges of the robe parted from her upper thighs, revealing her long and slender legs._

_A smirk played upon her lips as she tip toed over and sat facing me. She placed her left hand next to my right leg and placed the index finger from the other hand upon my lips. "Not exactly handsome," she said. "Although we have the same sounding name, mine is spelled T-S-U-K-I."_

"_As in moon," I said as she pulled her finger away from my lips._

"_Smart one too," Suki's doppelganger whispered. "I can see why the girl had such affection towards you."_

"_I don't understand," I said. "Who are you?"_

"_Who I was in life is of little importance Sabuko no Gaara," she said sternly. "All you need to know is that I'm in need of your assistance."_

"_I may need a little more information," I said angrily. The woman smirked dangerously and laughed again. "I thought you would," she whispered. "You see, I need help with a certain person that you and I know very well…"_

"_Who," I asked as the woman stood._

"_Suki Nara."_

"_What's wrong," I asked in a worried tone, my heart speeding up a mile a minute. "Is she hurt? Is she alright?"_

"_Stop your silly questions boy," the woman said a little annoyed. "The girl you love is still alive, I make sure of that."_

"_What do you mean by that," I asked. The woman smiled a smile like a serpent would smile at a mouse. "You and the Nara girl share a lot more in common than you think," she said. "For instance she knows what it's like to be hated by your own family…"_

"_Her family loves her," I said._

"_I'm talking extended family," the woman said with a frown. "That brother of hers would die for her while their parents lavish all the love they have upon those two. It sickens me to think about it."_

"_I don't think I understand any of this," I muttered angrily._

"_Suki never told you about her past did she," the doppelganger said with a laugh. "Oh that's rich…the person she loves and trusts the most in the world and he doesn't even know a thing about her!"_

"_Suki doesn't love me," I whispered._

"_Ugh," the woman gagged. "I get that twenty four seven from Suki about you and it annoys the hell out of me. I don't need it from you; especially since I know how much Suki loves you."_

_My body stiffened as the woman rolled her eyes at me. I had been sick and tired of hearing people say that Suki may love me back but this sounded like it was for certain. "How would you know that," I asked while trying to swallow the dry lump in my throat._

"_Ah," the woman said. "Here's where we come across another similarity between you two. Just as you once housed the demon Shukaku in your body, Suki contains me…"_

_I stared at the woman wide eyed. "So Suki has a demon inside of her," I asked. "Like Naruto and like how I used to?" The woman shook her head angrily and seemed disgusted at the thought. "I'm not a demon at all," she said annoyed. "I'm her ancestor; one that was persecuted and hated just because I used our abilities differently from all the others of our clan."_

"_I don't understand," I said, getting slightly annoyed at the fact that this woman wasn't giving me all the details. Suki never really spoke about her clan or her extended family, so there wasn't much I knew about her abilities other than the fact that she used shadows._

"_Not surprising since the girl never told you anything," the woman muttered. "Seems like I'll have to explain more than I thought I would. The Nara clan only uses shadows that are cast from objects obstructing light correct?" I nodded._

"_Wrong," the woman said. "While that is true for everyone else, it is not true for Suki or for me. We don't use those shadows; we use the shadows of darkness in our hearts. I created and perfected that technique when I was alive but the damn fool of a clan head decided that my abilities were to dangerous and had me killed. Moments before my death though I was able to perform a jutsu that sealed my spirit in my shadow. After that I connected my shadow with one of the ninjas sent to kill me and locked myself away inside of his heart, biding my time until one of his descendants piqued my interest."_

"_Suki," I whispered._

"_You catch on quick," she said with a laugh. "Suki just so happened to be the next woman in the clan with the ability to manipulate shadows. I'm sure she never told you but for some reason the women in our clan are born without the ability to use the shadow jutsu's. It's exceedingly rare for one to be able to do so. In fact, the last woman with the ability was me…"_

"_Okay," I said a little on edge. "But that doesn't explain why you're here."_

"_I told you before I need your help," she said._

"_I don't see why you need it," I said._

"_The strength of Suki's abilities and my own depend on how much hatred and anger is in ones heart. It is there that I reside, listening to the emotions that pass through," she explained. "Her whole clan knows that I remain dormant inside her and as luck would have it the current clan leader wishes to access these abilities to make the clan itself more powerful. He wishes to use Suki as a weapon and has sent her own family members out to hurt her on more than one occasion. This caused the resentment and self hate to grow inside her since she thought they all wanted to kill her out of jealousy. I was able to feed off that for a little while but it wasn't strong enough; she had her parents, her brother, and her friends who loved her and made her feel accepted."_

"_I…Suki really went through all that," I whispered, not really knowing what to say. I knew what it was like, to feel like no one wanted you. Was this why she kept leaping the hurdles that I put in place so no one would get close to me? Could my sand tell that she had been through the same thing and want to protect her as well? Was she…was she just as alone and afraid as I was back then?_

"_That and more," the woman said. "She was really coming along quite nicely too. Even though she kept up a front about being happy all the time, Suki was really depressed about what her clan had done. She would have been everything I had been and more if there wasn't one small problem."_

"_Problem," I asked curiously._

"_This particular problem came in the form of a red headed, pale skinned, light blue eyed boy from the Sand Village," the woman spat at me. "Suki went out one night to go stargazing, a hobby she and I both share, only to find this handsome young boy sitting on her favorite rooftop gazing at the moon. Her heart began pounding as she gazed at him, wondering who in the world he might be and where he had come from. I sensed the beginnings of love and tried to stop them but try as I might, Suki still ended up falling head over heels in love with you."_

"_She loves me," I whispered, having the idea sink in a little. "She loves me…"_

"_It made me sick," the woman continued, ignoring my realization. "The love she felt for you overpowered all the feelings of hate and anger she once housed for her clan. You became my greatest threat Gaara, no matter how hard I tried to make her think she loved that pompous ass of a Hyuga; she still felt something for you. She finally realized her love for you the night you were taken by the Akatsuki and there was nothing I could do about it."_

"_You made her think she loved Neji," I asked angrily. "The whole time she was with him?!" The woman laughed. "She did have a small crush on him when they were younger," she said. "So I made her think that she felt love for him. I knew he would bungle the relationship sooner or later since he never truly loved her. Which he did, although I wasn't expecting Suki to visit you…I thought she would become angrier than she did but the thought of you made her happy."_

"_So you're saying this entire time Suki and I could have been more than just a dream," I shouted angrily._

"_Not could have," the woman said with a sadistic smile. "Would have; you underestimate the feelings she has for you Gaara. I saw what future you had with her if you loved her…the two of you would have been married and had about five or six little brats running around."_

"_But I do," I yelled. "I love Suki."_

"_That's not what I wanted to hear," the woman said angrily. "You see, you had been a thorn in my side until that day you told Suki that you loved Matsuri. She felt such wonderful despair and emptiness. It was more emotion than her clan ever inflicted upon her. She was distraught and crushed by your words. So much so that she started to show her true potential; my powers were able to work alongside hers and a part of me was unleashed._

"_The problem I face now is that Kusanagi bastard," the woman continued. "He loves Suki dearly and she's responding to it. She's not in love with him, although she does like him a lot. This is why I need you Gaara."_

"_What are you saying," I asked._

"_I need you to reject Suki again so she can become the demon she was meant to be," the woman said. "Crush her feelings again like you did before…make her become the one everyone fears the most!"_

"_No," I shouted at the woman. "I won't help you do this to her! I love Suki and she has to know it." Before I could get up the woman jumped me. She pushed me back down onto the bed, hands on my shoulders and legs straddling my hips. "Alright," she purred in a threatening voice. "If you won't help me then fine, I'll do it myself; but let me leave you with an image of what your precious lover will become!"_

_The woman laid a hand on my forehead as images of Suki flew through my minds eye. She stood in a dark field, pale moonlight illuminating her figure and the dead bodies around her. She was drenched in blood, an evil smile gracing her full bodied lips. A ninja was held suspended in midair by shadows that she was controlling. She controlled the shadows just as I had controlled my sand with movements of her hands._

_The ninja screamed and begged for mercy as Suki extended two fists side by side before pulling them apart, signaling for her shadows to rip the ninja in half. There was a sickening crunching and tearing sound as the ninja was torn in half, his blood falling like rain as the shadows tossed each end of him in another direction. The blood fell upon Suki's smiling face, her black eyes shining as she laughed at her opponents demise._

"_Stop," I shouted. "That's not the woman I love! I won't let that happen!"_

"_Oh," the woman said with a dark chuckle. "Suki is already down that path…she will kill just like you once did but for a different reason. She wants others to feel the same pain you made her feel by rejecting her. Just how do you plan on bringing back the woman you love?"_

"_I'm going to her," I said. "I'm going to tell her I love her."_

"_I would feel threatened by that," the woman whispered. "Only thing is that this is a dream Gaara, and I'm the one controlling it. In other words, you won't remember a thing once you wake up…"_

I shot up like a rocket from the nightmare I had just had. Although I couldn't remember a moment of it, it still frightened me none the less. Panting, I took in my surroundings and realized I was in Matsuri's room. Dawn had started to creep up from behind the curtains. I decided to get dressed and hurry out of Matsuri's apartment before she woke up, yet deep down I felt as though I was forgetting something very important.


	33. Chapter 33

Suki's POV (A Month Later)

The month I had to spend with Kei came and went as abruptly as it had started. I had to say that I was going to be sorry to see him go. The days I had spent with him had been mostly filled with boring meetings, but Kei made them seem fun somehow. He didn't bring up the idea of a relationship again, thank God. Although that didn't stop our flirting with one another; perhaps it was because we were trying to make the others believe we were a couple but there was something inside me that said it was a little more than that on his part.

Tonight would be the second to last night I would spend with Kei, and we had to go to a formal dinner party for some local lord. It was the usual sort of party these lords threw; dinner and dancing complete with a live orchestra.

I stood off to the side, feeling a little like a wallflower as Kei danced with a young woman. I couldn't say that I didn't feel a little jealous about this; especially since it was the daughter of the lord that wanted Kei as a son-in-law. Why he had accepted her offer to dance I didn't know, he probably wanted to keep up appearances but he was right about one thing. She was a high and mighty bitch.

From the moment I met her, she gave me nothing but cold glares and even put me down. She had asked Kei why he would want to be seen with a commoner, someone who was obviously too plain and ordinary for him. I wanted to jump her when she said that, but the fact that I had to keep a sense of decorum about me stopped me. Kei came to my rescue by smiling in a sweet menacing way as he glared at the girl and said that I was by no means an ordinary woman and that in his eyes I was a princess. That shut the hussy up.

I felt myself smirk a bit at the memory as I listened intently to the music that was playing. A slow song had started up and as I listened, I realized it was U2's 'With or Without You'. My breath hitched in my throat as I thought of the last time I had danced to this song. It had been with Gaara, although it was more like the two of us were forced to dance together by both Naruto and Kankuro; not that I was complaining or anything.

I remembered the feelings of safety and belonging I felt while in Gaara's arms that night. It was the feeling he gave me every time he held me close. Thinking back to that night, I remembered how close I was to kissing him after we finished dancing, only to be interrupted by Neji. Although, we did kiss later on that night…the mere thought of our first kisses together caused a small shudder to travel up my spine. Those kisses…they made me feel such elation and such ecstasy. They were like a drug that I was addicted to and at the moment I felt like I was in withdrawal.

My heart began to pound and I closed my eyes, relishing in the memories this song had brought. At the same time, the memories were painful. They made me long for those times again, and made me want to feel that way again with Gaara. I wished that Gaara was here to wrap his arms around me and hold me close. I wished that he was the one that I was with. I wanted him to just be here, next to me. I wanted Gaara…

_No,_ I thought to myself. _You already told yourself that you're over him. You're over him, you're over him, you're over him…you're so NOT over him…_

"Suki," a calm voice asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yes," I said as I turned towards the source of the voice, only to have my body stiffen and my brain loose all sense of its surroundings. Standing there, in a blood red kimono was none other than the Kazekage himself. His eyes were wide with surprise upon seeing me here and he no doubt wondered what I was doing there. _Jeez, wish for someone long enough and it'll be granted,_ I thought to myself as the shock started to ebb away.

"Gaara," I whispered while forcing a smile. "It's good to see you."

"You too," he murmured. "How are things?"

"Fine," I managed to choke out. A lump had formed in my throat as all the feelings I had spent months trying to bury came rushing out. "How are things with you?"

"Fine," he answered while looking away from me. The two of us stood in silence for a long moment. _God_, I thought. _Over 300 people here and we end up finding one another…_

"Would you…maybe like to dance," Gaara whispered. I looked over at him, only to see him looking ahead, watching the others dance. My mind once again went back to the first time he and I danced with one another at Ino's party. The thought of Gaara wrapping his arms around me made my heart pound beneath my chest.

"Sure," I said with a small smile. "I would love to."

Gaara held out his hand and lead me towards the other couples. Ever so slowly he wrapped his arms around me and I looked up into his eyes. I blushed slightly and looked away again. "So," I said, trying to calm down a little. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," he mumbled. "I'm a little surprised to see you here."

"Yeah," I whispered. "I didn't expect to see you here either…"

"This is the sort of function I can't easily get out of," Gaara stated. I nodded slowly, thinking it probably wasn't that easy to play hooky when it came to this sort of thing. Gaara was the Kazekage after all, and had an image to keep up.

Looking up into his eyes, I felt my body go numb and my heart beat quicken. Gaara gazed back at me with his piercing orbs; he seemed to be in deep thought about something. His arms tightened around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "I've missed you," he whispered softly as I lay my head on his chest. "I'm so sorry…"

"For what," I asked while lifting my head off him to look him in the eyes. I was confused. If anything I should be sorry for leaving that letter instead of just telling him I was leaving. Not only that, but I had lied in the letter and hadn't written Gaara in five months.

Gaara slowly placed the back of his hand on my cheek. His eyes conveyed a deep sadness and I blamed myself for it. I had hurt him by inadvertently breaking off our friendship, which caused me to become more broken than I already was. He had no idea why I had done what I did, and perhaps he had a right to know. Maybe I should tell him it was because I was so deeply in love with him…

"Suki," he whispered softly while placing his forehead against mine. I managed to sigh softly as I felt my whole body shudder. God did I want him to kiss me; at least just once more. I wanted to feel that exciting tingle that ran throughout my body that his kiss always gave me. I could feel his warm breath tickling my lips as Gaara continued to stare at me. My heart was pounding in such anticipation it was close to bursting.

"Lord Gaara," came a voice to the right of us. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." The both of us hadn't even realized that the music had stopped and we had just been standing there for a good minute or so. Quickly the two of us let go of one another and jumped back a few feet from each other.

"Lord Kusanagi," Gaara said with a slight bow. "It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Yes it has," Kei said with a smile. It seemed to be more threatening than kind. "I trust that things are well?"

"They had been," Gaara said while glaring at Kei. "I don't wish to keep you Lord Kusanagi."

"Nor do I wish to keep you Lord Kazekage," Kei said as he extended a hand to me. "We should go Suki. I don't wish to have Gaara's date become jealous because he's spending too much time with the most beautiful woman in the room."

I felt myself blush a bit as I took Kei's hand. Following him to a secluded area outside, Kei stopped and turned to face me, still holding my hand. He let out a small sigh as he looked at me and then shook his head.

"Are you okay," I asked, wondering what was wrong. Kei nodded and let go of my hand before looking away from me. "I'm fine," he said. "It's just…this has been an amazing month for me Suki."

"I'm glad," I said with a small smile. I was a little nervous about the way Kei was acting. He had been acting strangely this whole day. Ever since he woke up he was a little on edge about something. It was starting to unnerve me. "I'm going to need proof that you're Kei Kusanagi," I said seriously.

"How," Kei asked a little confused. "Why?"

"Because you've been acting really strange lately and I need to make sure," I answered. "Tell me something only Lord Kusanagi would know."

"Okay," Kei said with a small smile. "How about the fact that you hate wearing Kimono's?"

"What makes you say that," I asked heatedly.

"Your brother said that when you were very young you had to go to a formal birthday party for your best friend and your mother had the hardest time just getting you into the kimono," Kei answered. "Not only that, but when you were at the party you got into a fight with some of the other kids there, which completely ruined your outfit. Does that answer satisfy you?"

"Yes," I said while folding my arms. "I'm not exactly happy that you know about that though. Leave it to my brother to embarrass me." Kei smiled. "You're right though, I have been acting strangely," he said. "But there's a good reason for it."

"What reason could there be," I asked. Kei blushed as his smile fell a little. "I don't know if I should say," he whispered. I was starting to get a little worried. Something was up, something he wasn't telling me. My senses told me to brace myself for something but I didn't know what to expect.

"You're going to have to tell me or I'll beat it out of you," I said.

"Knowing you, you would do just that," Kei said, his smile returning. "It's just that…I think it's too soon."

"Too soon for what," I asked, completely and utterly confused. Kei shook his head again and finally looked back at me. "I was telling the truth when I said that this has been an amazing month," he said. "I didn't want it to end at all and now that it has…"

"What are you trying to say," I asked.

"I'm trying to tell you that I no longer just like you a lot," Kei whispered. "This past month has allowed me to get to know you better and I'm very happy that I did. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you Suki. I love you very much."

I stood there shocked as Kei took a chance and wrapped his arms around me before kissing me. It wasn't a bad kiss either. It felt really amazing but…_Gaara,_ I thought. _Why can't this be you? Why couldn't you have taken me away from the crowd and told me these things?_

Simple; Gaara wasn't in love with me. Kei on the other hand did love me. I knew that for a fact. The way he smiled when he looked at me was all I needed to see to know that he cared deeply for me. He always treated me as an equal as well, which was something that could never be said about Neji I'll tell you that right now.

Kei slowly pulled away from me and took a deep breath before getting down on one knee. I felt my eyes widen as he held me hands in his. "I would give everything I had away just to spend another day with you," he whispered. "To be completely honest with you I never thought I would feel this way about another person ever again. The moment you fell into my arms was the moment you fell into my heart.

"Suki Nara," he continued as I felt my whole body start to shake. "I come before you not as a client, not as a lord, but as a man whose heart you have taken. It would give me great honor and pleasure if you would consent to becoming my wife."

I felt as though gravity had increased tenfold as my mind processed what Kei had just said. I could hardly breathe as the realization came to me that this was the _second_ time in my young life that I had been proposed to. I really must be sending out the wrong kind of signals here…but as my mind continued to think on it, I found that I didn't have any reason to say no.

Yes, I had only met this man twice before in my life and had only spent one month with him, but there was something about him. I did really like Kei, I couldn't deny that. The question was could I grow to love him later on? I believe I could.

Gaara was in love with Matsuri and was probably with her right now. He couldn't love me and I had to accept that. Right now, right in front of me was a man that did love me and wanted me. I swallowed dry air as I looked Kei Kusanagi in the eye.

"Yes," I whispered with a nod. "I will." Kei smiled broadly as he stood and lifted me off the ground to spin me around. "You don't know how happy you've made me," Kei whispered while putting me down and pulling me close.

"I think I have a small idea," I said with a small smile before wrapping my arms around Kei's neck and pulling him in for a quick kiss. He smiled and looked me in the eye. "It's been a real stuffy party hasn't it," he asked. I nodded. "Want to get out of here?"

"Please," I said as Kei took my hand and led me back to the hotel.

The next Day…

"Are you serious," Hana shouted as Kei broke the news to her the next morning. "You're really engaged?" Kei smiled softly and nodded as I sat next to him on a cream colored sofa in Hana's living room. "Yes," I said. "Kei asked me last night and I accepted."

"I'm so happy for the two of you," Hana whispered as she slowly stood up. She was very far along in her pregnancy and it was really showing. It also seemed like it was taking its toll on her. She gave a small grunt as she held her belly and gave a small smile. "This one's been acting up a bit today," she whispered. "Don't know why either."

"Do you know whether or not it's a boy or girl," I asked as Kei put an arm around me.

"I'd rather be surprised," Hana answered. "I didn't know what Tanaka would be either; but I know he can't wait to have a few cousins running around." I felt my face turn redder than a tomato at the thought of having kids with Kei. I mean, we hadn't even consummated this relationship yet!

"We haven't really discussed that yet Hana," Kei said with a small smile. "It's a little early to be thinking about children."

"Well you're only young once," Hana said. I felt myself want to roll my eyes when she said that. The woman was only thirty years old for crying out loud!

Kei smiled a little and then leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Maybe one day," he whispered in my ear before nipping the lobe. "But for now…we should just enjoy one another's company. Don't you agree?" I felt myself shudder as he continued to nibble at my ear softly. Why did he have to turn me on in front of his sister in law when she wasn't looking?!

"Does anyone want some tea," Hana asked as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Sure," I said while getting up and walking over to her. "Do you want some help?"

"No," Hana answered. "I may be pregnant, but I'm not an invalid. I can still do things around my own house thank you very much!" Kei smiled and shook his head. "She's always been that way," he said while I sat next to him again.

"Yeah," I whispered. "And what was with the turning me on in front of your sister in law huh?" Kei smirked at me. "Was that a turn on for you," he asked as if he didn't already know. I smirked back at him and leaned closer to him, my lips hovering above his exposed collarbone. "Just you wait," I breathed against his skin, causing him to shudder in anticipation. "You're going to get it."

With that said, I bit down on his collarbone making him hiss in pleasure. "Damn you woman," Kei muttered as I unlatched my teeth and licked at the impressions they made. "I have half a mind to cart you back to the hotel and rip off those clothes of yours and give you the punishment you so richly deserve…"

I looked up into his lust filled eyes and found my smirk growing. This sort of banter wasn't new to us. In fact for the past month we had been doing this to one another out of both necessity and for the sheer thrill of it. I inwardly smiled at the memory of Kei shoving me up against the wall in a hallway outside the room we had been given at a lord's mansion. That was a make out session I would never forget. I had my legs wrapped around his waist as we grinded against one another and exchanged heated kisses.

The lord's daughter had rounded the corner and spotted us, but we had already known she was coming. It had been Kei's idea really to get her off his back about marrying her; worked very well too…

"I dare you," I murmured into his ear before licking the shell. "Or do you not have a mind at all?" Kei let out a low growl before taking hold of my wrists with a sly grin on his face. "That's it," Kei growled. "I'm going to tear you apart once I get you back to the hotel; we're skipping the tea." I smiled at him as he stood up to go say goodbye to Hana.

Just as he did, a loud scream issued from the kitchen and there was a crash. "Hana," Kei shouted as the two of us ran into the kitchen. She was on the ground, groaning in pain and holding her belly. "I think…" she whispered. "I think someone is trying to tell me that it's time to be born…"

"What," Kei shouted, his eyes growing wide as I reached for a phone. It was obvious that he didn't know what to do in this situation. "Call the hospital," I said handing him the phone. "They'll send some medical ninja's over to transport her…now keep breathing Hana; in through the nose and out through the mouth."

I kneeled down to place Hana's head on my lap as she propped her feet on the ground and gasped in pain. "They'll be here soon," Kei said. "Where's Tanaka?"

"Out-outside," Hana said as another contraction came. "Playing…"

"I'll go and get him," I said while looking up at Kei. "It's better if you stay here. Keep her head on your lap and make sure she keeps breathing deep breaths."

"Alright," Kei said as he took my place. Hana let out another scream as I rushed outside to look for Tanaka. She had told me once before that he liked playing with the other kids near the training grounds, so I figured I may as well start there. Focusing my chakra on my feet, I sped off to the grounds making it there in record time.

"Tanaka," I yelled at a group of children. "Is Tanaka with you?"

"Huh," a little boy with black hair said. "He went off into the woods with Lacie…they were following a bunny."

"Which way," I asked.

"That way," a girl with red hair said, pointing off into the direction the two youngsters went.

"Thank you," I said before rushing off into the trees behind them. I ran as fast as I could, looking anywhere and everywhere for some sign of Tanaka and his friend. It didn't take me long to find them sitting underneath a tree, apparently tired from chasing a rabbit around. They had probably gotten lost as well, seeing as how deep into the forest they were.

"Hey Tanaka," I said while jumping down from the tree branch I was on. "I've been looking all over for you. We have to get going, you're mom is…"

"Suki," Tanaka shouted. "Look out!" I tensed when I realized that someone was behind me with a weapon. I ducked out of the way and dodged a kunai that was thrown at my arm, damning my stupidity for not making sure the area was secure.

"Looks like we got lucky boys," scoffed the ninja in front of me. He was dressed in a black uniform, with a black mask sort of like Kakashi-sensei's pulled over his face. He didn't have a headband on him so I had no idea what village he was affiliated with. "Looks like I got a small work out ahead of me," I said with a smirk as I sensed the presence of at least twenty other ninjas. "So it takes almost two dozen of you guys to go after a couple of kids? You must not be very good at what you do if you ask me…"

"You shouldn't underestimate us, Little Moon," whispered a husky male voice behind me. I froze as I felt a kunai be placed against my neck. How I hadn't sensed his movements was beyond me, but what he had said made me feel my stomach turn inside out. 'Little Moon' had been a pet name given to me by my father's youngest brother; the one that had actually gotten the closest to killing me.

"You sure have grown a lot since then," he whispered in my ear as his free hand traveled south and in between my thighs. "You've become a real woman now haven't you?"

Without a second thought, I connected my shadow with his and impaled him with a spike only to have him burst into a couple of clouds. I should have known it was a shadow clone. Tanaka let out a scream at the sight of the man disappearing. "Why is it that everyone in my extended family either wants to rape me or kill me," I muttered while taking a fighting stance and backing up towards Tanaka and his friend.

"Baka," said a ninja to the left of me. "You should have known she's much stronger now Hikaku."

"What do you want," I asked, trying to assess the situation at hand. I felt Tanaka get up and wrap an arm around one of my legs while his friend just sat there, frozen in fear. "Suki," he whispered in a frightened voice. I smiled softly at the little boy, trying to calm him down. "Don't worry," I whispered. "I'll protect you."

"I think it should be obvious what we want," Hikaku said as he stood in front of me. "We were originally sent to get that kid, but bringing you back to your true home would be an added bonus; don't you think?"

"My true home is here with my family," I spat back. "Either way, I'm not going to let you take the kid."

"Sorry to hear that Little Moon," my uncle said with a smirk. "I think it's high time for us to test the girl from the prophecy, right boys?" There were deep chuckles emitted from the twenty or so masked men that surrounded us. "I don't go down that easily," I muttered with a smirk. "Close your eyes Tanaka!"

With the wave of my hand, I sent shadow spikes out to the men surrounding me. Hearing the customary 'poof' I knew that all of them had been shadow clones. Gritting my teeth, I tried to get a sense of where the real ninjas were, but couldn't get a good enough reading. I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that they were masking their chakra signals…

"Tanaka," I whispered while glancing down at the boy, who still had his eyes closed. "When I give the signal, I want you to grab your friend and run. I'll follow you from behind; don't look back, just keep running, okay? Just remember to not step in any shadows and don't let any of them touch yours, got it?" Tanaka nodded slowly as he unlatched himself from my leg. "GO!"

Tanaka grabbed his friends hand, yanked him off the ground, and ran as fast as he could. I was right behind them, stopping a few shurican that were thrown from the trees with the kunai in my hand, only to be grazed on the side of the arm by one of them. I let out a hiss of pain, but kept running only to be tripped by some ninja wire. Damn it, why did I keep messing up? Cursing my stupidity, I got to my feet and saw Tanaka look back at me. "Don't stop," I shouted while gripping the cut on my arm to slow the bleeding. "Keep running!"

"You really thought you could escape me again Little Moon," asked my uncle as he jumped onto one of the lower branches of a tree. "You really are too cruel…" I threw my kunai at him, only to have him dodge and land on the ground in front of me. "Ah ah ah," he said, wagging his forefinger in front of me as if to discipline me.

"You're the cruel one," I shouted while clenching my fists. "You and the rest of the damn Nara clan! All you ever did was try to kill me and for what?! Just because you were jealous at the fact that I was that stupid girl from the prophecy?!"

"Is that what daddy dearest told you," Hikaku asked while folding his arms. "That's interesting. In fact, that's very interesting…I didn't think Shikaku would lie to his precious children like that."

"My father is not a liar," I roared, making shadow hands grab onto my uncles ankles and wrists. "He would never lie to me!"

"Well, well," my uncle said with a smirk as I coaxed the hands to suspend him in mid air. "You really _have_ gotten stronger, Little Moon…" I glared at the man and made the hands tighten. "Stop calling me that!"

Hikaku only smirked at me and chuckled slightly. "Haven't you ever thought you were…different from your brother and your father," he asked. I felt slight fear freeze in my veins as I stood there. "What are you talking about," I growled in a menacing tone.

"Your shadows Suki," he answered. "Haven't you ever felt that they were different from the ones your beloved brother and father used? They can only extend theirs so far…but you can keep lengthening yours past their point. Didn't you ever notice that?"

"Maybe I'm just better at using the shadows," I said angrily, although it was true what he had said. I had noticed it quite a few times when Dad had been training us. When we first started out, I couldn't push them as far as Shika could, but after a while I got much better at it.

"If only it were that simple," my uncle laughed. "Your family can only use the shadows around them, but you…you can use the shadows within yourself! The darker your heart is Suki, the more in tune you are with the shadows and the better you are at manipulating them. That is why your family decided to help you hone your abilities. We attacked you to make you stronger and it worked."

I felt myself stiffen as he said those words. Was it possible? Was what he told me true? Were my abilities somehow tied in with how much hatred I felt? No…it couldn't be true; it wasn't true. "You're a liar," I shouted before sending a spike pillar towards him.

"I wouldn't do that," said a gruff voice to the other side of me. "Kill him, and I'll kill the kid."

Looking over, I saw another man standing there, holding a sobbing Tanaka in his arms with a kunai pressed against his throat. I growled slightly, hoping Hikaku was thanking his lucky stars that the spike only just scratched the surface of his skin. Retracting the spike, I still held my uncle aloft in midair. "Now put him down," the man next to me said.

Slowly but surely, I did as asked and could feel the smirk on my uncles face. "I'm sorry Suki," Tanaka sobbed as another ninja bound my arms behind me with wire. I smiled softly to him before I was thrown to the ground. "It's okay kiddo," I whispered to him, not sure if he had heard me or not. "You did the best you could…"

"Now then Little Moon," Hikaku said as he stood in front of me. "It's high time you learned your place." I let out a loud grunting cough as I felt his leg connect with my stomach. Soon, other ninjas joined in the fun; kicking and stomping on any part of my body they could.

Bloodied, bruised, and probably suffering from a few broken bones, I groaned as the beating finally subsided and curled up into a ball as best I could. Sharp pain stabbed every nerve I had as I coughed up a small amount of blood. I just wanted to lay there and die…

"Have you learned your lesson Little Moon," Hikaku whispered while grabbing a fist full of my hair and lifting my upper body off the ground by it. "Or do you need more?" Looking at him through half lidded eyes, I felt myself smirk a little. "You call that a lesson," I wheezed, denying the pain racing through my body. "That was more like a light study session…"

Hikaku's grip tightened on my hair as he forcefully tossed me to one side. "You really don't know your place," he muttered before grabbing me by my shirt and lifting me off the ground. "You will learn it soon however." Shoving me up against a nearby tree and pinning me there, he then hit me on the back of the head as hard as he could. I fell to the ground with a thud and a groan as inky blackness took over my field of vision.

"Suki," was the last cry I heard from Tanaka as he struggled against his captor. The cry reminded me so much of the one someone else had shouted as I was thrown over a cliff edge. "Gaara," I breathed just as unconsciousness took over.


	34. Chapter 34

Shikamaru's POV…that evening in the Hokage's office…

"Why did you call us here so late Hokage-sama," I muttered, not happy that I was dragged from my home after I had just returned from a long mission. I stood in the circular room that was her office at the Hokage Tower, staring out the large, rectangular window at the sky instead of looking straight at Tsunade like I should have. She was sitting behind her desk, rubbing her temples and staring down at the pieces of paper in front of her.

"It's only six o'clock you lazy bum," Dad said while leaning against the right wall, arms folded across his chest. He looked over at Lord Kei Kusanagi, who was also here for some reason or other. Perhaps he was giving the Hokage a report on how well Suki had done on her mission. "I'm sorry to call you here on such short notice," the Hokage said while folding her hands and propping her elbows up on her desk. "It's just that this is a very urgent matter."

"What are you talking about," I asked while taking in her urgent tone. I took in Kei's downcast look as he stood next to Lady Tsunade. His fists were clenched and his body was ridged, causing me to feel very nervous. "I want the two of you to sit down before I continue," Tsunade said, gesturing to the two green chairs in front of her desk.

"What the hell is going on," Dad asked while glaring at the Hokage. Tension filled the room and for the very first time in a long time, I felt fear. Forcing myself to move, I slowly sat down in front of the Hokage as she looked at me without showing me any emotion.

"Shikaku," she said in a quiet voice. "I asked you to sit down…"

Grumbling my father took the seat next to me, his arms still folded and an angry look on his usually bored face. "Now then," Lady Tsunade whispered. "I'm afraid I have some troubling news for you and I'm not so sure how either of you are going to take it…"

"Tch," I muttered hoping she would get to the point soon. "Troublesome…"

"This is troublesome Shikamaru," Kei Kusanagi shouted while banging his fists on the Hokage's oversized oak desk. "My fiancé is missing!"

"What has that got to do with…?" I started but was interrupted by the Hokage.

"I should think you would have figured it out already," Tsunade stated matter-o-factly. "Seeing as how you are related to her and all…"

"Suki," Dad shouted as he shot up from his chair and looked at Lord Kusanagi. "Since when did Suki engage herself to the likes of you and not say a word to her family about it? What did you do? Get her knocked up?!"

"There would be some explaining to do if that happened," Kusanagi retorted. "I haven't even slept with her yet…"

"Don't you talk about my little girl like that," Dad shouted.

"She's hardly that little anymore sir," Lord Kusanagi whispered.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Dad," I muttered. "Seriously, take a chill pill…"

"As amusing as this is," Lady Tsunade shouted. "I'd like to get on with the pressing matter of Suki's abduction!"

Dad visibly froze as a stunned look came across his face. "Don't tell me…" he whispered as I felt my whole body start to shake. "Oh gods please don't tell me…"

The room went quiet as Tsunade nodded her head slowly. Dad slumped back into his chair and I closed my eyes. The silence in the room continued, which was fairly helpful seeing as how I was trying to sense how my identical twin was doing.

I wasn't able to sense very much…just fear; fear and darkness. Not being able to discern if the fear I felt was hers or my own for her safety, I began to shake. Worry began to course through every fiber of my body and I felt sick to my stomach. "Dad," I whispered. "Something's really wrong…"

"The only reason we know what happened is because one of the ninja's left a letter with a child that had been playing with Lord Kusanagi's nephew," the Hokage continued, handing the sheets of paper in front of her to my father. "They took the nephew as well."

Dad's eyes glowed with more and more anger with every word he read. "Hikaku," he hissed angrily. "You damn fool…I thought I made myself clear the last time I spoke with you. Now it looks like I really will have to kill you." I felt myself stiffen at the mention of my youngest uncle's name. The last time I had seen him was the last time anyone of our extended family was allowed near Suki, although that didn't stop her last attack.

For five days she was missing, and every day my father went out looking for her with the help of Ino's and Choji's father's as well. It was then reported by an Anbu ninja that she had been found by a local fisherman who took her to the hospital. I barely recognized her when I saw her lying on the hospital stretcher with doctors and nurses chatting like crazy.

Suki was as naked as the day we were born, wet, and barely breathing. I could hear the chattering of her teeth, indicating how cold she was, as they carted her by. Her whole body was swollen with bruises, along with a few shallow cuts that were still bleeding. It was obvious that she had internal bleeding and a few cracked ribs. What really stuck out in my memory was the thick, jagged edged, clean, milky white object that protruded from the skin of her right forearm. I soon realized that I was staring at four inches of her very own bone.

Not being able to hold in the contents of my stomach much longer, I raced over to the waist basket to the left of the Hokage's desk, clutched the sides, and retched. All I could see when I closed my eyes was that bone on the outside of her body, the shredded skin hanging near it and the torn muscles that fell from it. The blood too; by gods all that blood!

I threw up again into the basket as Dad patted my back. "Ugh," I groaned while squatting down next to the trash bin. Leaning my head against the cool wood of the desk I closed my eyes and sighed, trying not to let those images into my head again.

"I don't think I understand," Kei Kusanagi whispered as the Hokage threw a box of tissues at me from her desk. Dad sighed and looked over at him. "Hikaku is my brother," he answered. "Suki is a bit different from the rest of us in our clan. Long story short she's the first woman in a long time to be able to use our abilities in our clan. There's been a long standing rule in the clan that the next female able to use our jutsu's would become clan leader one day and once everyone found out Suki was able to bend shadows all hell broke loose. Most of our family members attacked her out of jealousy, some attacked her out of loyalty to the current clan leader, and others attacked her because they didn't think it was right for a woman to lead the clan.

"Suki's been stabbed, beaten, and once even had her gut torn open…but Hikaku's was the worst. She was only seven years old when he beat her senseless, giving her so many bruises her whole body was almost black and blue, not to mention the compound fracture on her lower arm, the cracked ribs and small cuts she received. To make things even more humiliating he stripped her naked and threw her into a freezing river. Doctors said that hypothermia might have been the reason she survived. Also said that that fucker sodomized my little girl with a branch…"

"Fuck," I groaned as my stomach once again heaved what little contents it had left into the waste basket in front of me. That part I had not known, nor did I think Suki remembered it. I would be glad if she never did.

"Looks like that basket is becoming a permanent fixture to you, eh Shikamaru," Lady Tsunade whispered. Spitting into the trash I glared at her before wiping my mouth with the tissues she had thrown at me earlier. "I have seen a lot of carnage in my day Lady Tsunade," I muttered, my dry throat cracking my voice. "But nothing could have prepared me for the sight of my twin sister being wheeled into the emergency room like that. It was like nothing I had ever seen before…and I was the one that found her when she attempted to take her own life."

"That wasn't something any seven-year-old should see," Dad whispered. "Even one that's training to be a ninja…" I gave my father a small half smile as he patted me on the back once more. "Your mothers going to go into conniptions when she finds out you know," he said.

"Great," I said while leaning my head against the desk again. "She's going to be all mother hen over me until she gets her little girl back right?"

"Most likely," Dad answered.

"I don't believe what you're saying," Kusanagi whispered. "Suki's such a loving and caring person…someone who went through all the things you said surely wouldn't be the way she is?"

"She hides behind a mask," I muttered. "I'm not saying she isn't tough as hell, but she doesn't share her darkest secrets with anyone. I can count on one hand how many people actually know her life story."

"Only one person was able to strip away the mask Suki wore," Dad said softly.

"Who," Kei asked.

"A kindred spirit," Dad answered. I rolled my eyes and groaned a little, knowing exactly who he was talking about. "Shikaku," Lady Tsunade said. "I want you to know that I'm going to put every available man on this mission to get your daughter back."

"Thank you Lady Tsunade," Dad said while turning to her with a small bow. "But I'm afraid I will need the assistance of someone that the village can't offer. This is also a family matter that should have been resolved years ago…" He turned to leave and Kei and I followed him. "Who are you talking about," Kusanagi asked.

"You'd better not be thinking of the person I think you're thinking of," I yelled. Dad turned his head to smirk at me. "I am," he said. "I know that he's the only one that can save Suki; from our clan, and from herself."

"You've been reading her diary again haven't you old man," I shouted.

"As a concerned parent," Dad shouted back. "Your mother was the one that left it open on the table anyway! Don't think for one second that I didn't sense your chakra signature on it either kiddo!"

"Only because I had to disarm the paper-bomb she rigged in the damn thing," I muttered. I felt myself blush beet red as Lord Kusanagi and I followed Dad home to set our plans in motion.

Gaara's POV…a week later…

I had just gotten back from the Hidden Leaf Village three days ago and I did the only thing I could do to keep myself sane; paperwork. I had hoped against all hope that I wouldn't see Suki during my visit but it seemed karma had it in for me. It was my last day in the village and since I had to attend a high end function, I thought I was home free…I hadn't been more wrong in my entire life.

As I had been scanning the room looking for someone to possibly speak with seeing as how I hadn't brought a date and was bored out of my mind, I spotted her dancing in the arms of Kusanagi. Jealousy reared its head as I watched him pull her close and kiss her passionately. Red hot rage coursed through my body as I watched her smile up at him after they pulled away.

_You're over her, _I thought to myself for the millionth time that month. _You said you were over her the moment she was working with that jerk. It doesn't matter to me if he kisses her, or how close he's holding her, or how he's touching her, or…damn it stop touching her!_

A low feral growl escaped my lips as I watched him pull her even closer to him. Suki shouldn't be that close to anyone. Did the man have no sense of dignity or decorum? Turning away from the sight of them, I thought back to the first time I had danced with her. It had been the first time I had danced with anyone really, but even so…the incident was somewhat magical. I really wanted to relive that experience.

Watching and waiting for the moment Suki was alone I seized the opportunity. Thanking my lucky stars that another woman had asked Kusanagi for the next dance, I wrote down the name of the song Suki and I had first danced to on a piece of paper before handing it to the band leader. I took a deep breath, walked over to the woman that invaded my dreams and asked her for a dance.

Once she was in my arms I didn't want to let her go. It was as though we were the only two people in the room that night and even though we barely spoke, I still felt as though something was being conveyed to the other person. There was something about her that night that just made me want to express all my feelings to her. I wanted to tell her that I had lied about being in love with Matsuri, to tell her to come back to Suna with me, to tell her that I had been so lonely without her, but most of all I wanted to tell her that I loved her and only her.

The problem was that I couldn't find any words to communicate my feelings. All I could do was stare at her, thinking that I should rid her lips of Kusanagi's taste. In my personal opinion, he didn't know the right way to kiss Suki. I had thought perhaps I should show her how she should be kissed and was so close to doing it too. If only that bastard Kusanagi hadn't interfered; the man was just as bad as his brother.

"Fucking bastard," I growled while roughly running a hand through my hair in frustration. Leaning back in my chair I rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands, knowing that I really shouldn't be pondering this turn of events. "Just stop thinking about her," I whispered to myself. "Stop thinking about her…"

A knock issued from the door to my office and I let out a low groan. I was in no mood to deal with anyone at all and I had no idea who would want to deal with me. I had been in a foul mood since I had returned, absorbing myself with paperwork. The only people that even dared to enter my office aside from my siblings were my secretary and a few select Jonin, and even they gave me a wide berth.

Noticing I had ignored the first knock, the perpetrator of the first one delivered another. Quickly standing, I slammed my fists down on my desk and glared at the door. "Come," I ordered angrily.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you Lord Kazekage," said a male voice as the door opened. I glared at him as he smiled at me before walking closer. "Lord Kusanagi," I muttered, feeling a sour taste in my mouth. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to come by and make sure there were no hard feelings among the two of us," he mused as I walked around my desk so that there was nothing in between us.

"What makes you think there's any hard feelings between us," I asked, not letting up on my glare one bit.

"I would think that the fact that I stole your woman would make you, shall we say, upset?"

"I have no woman."

"So you never staked claim over the Nara girl?"

"There was never anything between Suki and me if that's what you're asking," I answered, although I really wished there had been.

"I'm glad," Kusanagi answered with a lecherous smirk. "Because I wanted to inform you that she's now mine."

"I don't quite follow you…"

"Suki and I are engaged," Kusanagi said as a knot formed in my stomach. "For the time being anyway; once I grow tired of her you can have her back if you want her. She is a very nice piece of tail though, so I don't know exactly when I'll get bored of banging her but…"

I didn't let him finish; rage took over my whole body and all I could see was red. Lunging at him, the two of us toppled to the floor with me on top, straddling his stomach. "You fucking bastard," I growled as particles of sand floated around us. "You god damn fucking bastard…if you even lay one fucking finger on my Suki I'll kill you!"

With one hand wrapped around Lord Kusanagi's throat, I raised the other in a fist to punch the living crap out of him only to have it be held back by someone else. "Just let me hit him," I shouted while looking over at the person holding back my arm. Shock ran through my body as I beheld the sight of Suki's identical twin. "Shikamaru," I whispered.

"You might want to lighten up there Gaara," he said while inclining his head towards Kusanagi. "He's turning purple…"

"But he…"

"You ever think that he was only saying those things just to prove something," Shikamaru said lazily. I loosened my grip on the man's throat but made no move to get off him. "What was it that you were trying to prove," I asked while glaring down at Kusanagi.

"That you're in love with my daughter," came a voice from the doorway. "And I must say that you passed with flying colors. It's nice to finally meet the man that stole her heart. You're name's Gaara, correct?"

"Who…who are you," I whispered, looking up to see an older man that had the same exact hairstyle as Shikamaru. He looked a lot like him as well, except his face had a few battle scars and a goatee but other than that he could pass as an older Shikamaru.

"The names Shikaku Nara," he said with a small smirk. "Now you were just saying something about Lord Kusanagi laying a finger on _your_ Suki…?" I fought back a blush as I let go of Lord Kusanagi and stood. He gasped for air and coughed as Shikamaru finally released my arm. "You're Suki's father," I whispered, looking down at the ground.

"Guilty as charged," the man answered in a gruff manner. "Nothing gets passed this one does it Shikamaru?"

"This is such a drag Dad," Shikamaru said while looking up at the ceiling, his hands in his pockets. "I still say we should have gone by ourselves…"

"With what for a plan," his father answered while leaning against the doorway with his arms folded. "You want us to just run in there and take on the whole clan without any sort of strategy? Thanks but I don't plan on going six feet under anytime soon."

"Tch," Shikamaru grumbled while sending a small glare his father's way. "Aging drunk…"

"Lazy bum," Shikaku answered with a small smirk.

I exhaled slowly and shook my head with a small half smile. He was certainly Suki's father alright. I didn't doubt that she had acquired many of her personality traits from him; sass being one of them. Still, I had no reason to account for these intruders in my office.

"I'm sorry for what I said about Suki," Lord Kusanagi said as he stood and looked me in the eye. "But I did tell the truth about one thing; I am engaged to her."

"Since when," I asked while glaring at him. The knot in my stomach had reformed and it was tightening with every passing second. "A little more than a week ago," Kusanagi answered. "I'm not lying when I say that I love her dearly either." I could tell by the look of love in his eyes that he was telling the truth but it still didn't mean I would trust him. "Does she love you," I asked in a low voice.

"As far as I know," he whispered.

"So you came to gloat," I muttered while going to sit behind my desk.

"No," Kusanagi said while shaking his head and taking a few steps closer to my desk. "I came to beg you for your help."

"Why should I help you," I growled. As far as I was concerned, this man had taken away the only person that made me whole. Therefore, I didn't feel inclined to help him; rather, I felt inclined to throw him out of my office along with the other two Kohona ninja.

"Because the woman we love has been abducted by her own clan," Kusanagi answered. I stared at him wide eyed. I had only seen one of her clan member's attack her but I didn't think her whole clan was out to get her. It didn't really make much sense; then again, the dying words her cousin had spoken didn't make much sense either. _Are you the one that can't feel love,_ he had said. _Ask the shadow you love so much…_

I still had never asked Suki about it. Probably because I hadn't really thought about it since then and because I had other things on my mind…still, something was nagging at me and I didn't quite know what. It was as though I was trying to remember something but couldn't. "I don't understand," I whispered calmly. "Why would your clan do something like this?"

"Because they're assholes that's why," Shikamaru shouted while punching the wall he had been leaning against with the back of his fist. "Man, I hate this…I can't even sense her that well. All I know is that it's dark where she is, and that she feels cold, lonely, and miserable."

"Sounds like they have her in solitary confinement," Shikaku whispered. "The Nara clan is known for doing that…"

"You can sense all that," I asked, cocking a brow in her twin's direction.

"Twins, remember," Shikamaru answered while looking at me with a smirk. "No matter how far away we are from one another, we can feel what the other is feeling."

"Interesting," I whispered.

"A pain in the ass is more like it," Shikaku muttered. "Try growing up with four sets of them…each of them had their own language and always knew what the other was thinking. Don't even get me started on those two either…always talking with one another just by looking into the others eyes; but back to the subject at hand. I need you to help us get my daughter back and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"I don't see how I would be of any help," I said. "You have plenty of able bodied ninja in your village. Why seek me out?"

"That's a question I would like the answer to myself," Kusanagi muttered. I glared at him as Shikamaru let out a long, drawn out sigh of irritation. "It is a good question that deserves the long sort of answer," Shikaku mused while stroking his chin. "But the short version is this: you are very special to my daughter. If she was rescued by Leaf Village ninja who knows how dark her heart will be. You bring a sort of…light to her already shadowed world."

"You only say that because Suki's the best friend I've ever had," I said. Although for some reason, I was having a distinct feeling of déjà vu. Shikaku's ever present smirk fell as his kind brown eyes became angry. "I say that because Suki is in love with you," he said sternly before taking a journal out of his coat pocket. "She has been for a very long time."

My eyes widened at his words and I shook my head. "I'm sorry," I whispered as Suki's father slowly strode over to my desk. "But I've heard that too many times from other people to believe that."

"Told you he wouldn't believe you old man," Shikamaru snorted.

"Fine," Shikaku barked while slamming the journal in front of me, ignoring his sons comment. "Don't believe me, but just read what this has to say. Go to page twenty seven, the section you should read is already highlighted."

Deciding it would be best to just go along with the older man instead of arguing with him, I opened the book to the correct page and found the highlighted section. "Purple," I asked, fairly amused.

"It's the old ball and chains favorite color," Shikaku muttered. "She's the one that highlighted it and forced me to read it."

"Forced," Shikamaru guffawed. "More like you just grabbed the nearest highlighter…"

"Shut up," his father growled. "It's not like you didn't read that thing either…don't think I didn't see you reading it last night."

"You were hallucinating again old man."

Ignoring the two arguing Nara's, I looked at the writing only to realize it was Suki's, I had read enough of her letters to know it when I saw it. In a hurry I went back to the cover page just to make doubly sure. There, in black bold letters, was her signature under the stamp 'This Journal Belongs To'. I swallowed the dry lump in my throat as I slowly turned back to the page I was on originally and began to read.

_I had that dream again last night. The one where I'm laying there in his arms and he kisses the top of my head before telling me he loves me. Every time I look up into his eyes to tell him how I feel he crumbles into sand and is blown away by the wind. Then I'm just left alone in that field with nothing but shadows being casted from the moonlight._

_Why couldn't I have that dream I had the night he was taken by the Akatsuki? At least in that one I was able to tell him I loved him before he turned to sand and blew away. At least in that one he kisses me on the lips instead of on my damn head! Either way, both of them make me feel like I'm losing him. I don't want to lose him though…I want him to be here with me, I want him to hold me, touch me, maybe even kiss me. I wish he loved me the way I love him but I know that can't happen because he's in love with someone else._

_You know what I think I miss the most? I miss sleeping with him. It's not like we ever had sex or anything, although if he had wanted to I sure as hell wouldn't have thought twice about it; we just sort of held each other close. I know the only reason we slept in the same bed was because we had to keep up appearances during out mission together, but his scent was so calming to me and I always felt so safe in his arms at night. _

_A part of me wishes that I had stayed in Suna with him, but I couldn't get in the way of his feelings for Matsuri. Had I stayed, I would have either gone insane with jealousy or buried my growing feelings until I snapped and shouted out 'I love you,' but I knew I couldn't do that._

_Gaara has a chance to be happy with the person he loves and I can't be in the way. No matter how much I want to have him pull me close and whisper that he loves me I know it will never happen. I know that the day where I look him in the eye and say 'I love you, Gaara,' will never come. Perhaps I had a chance at one point, but I wasted it thinking he could never feel the same. Yet, through it all, Gaara is the one person I love more than anyone else in the world._

_He's the only one that can make me smile when I'm depressed, the only one that can make me feel like I belong; he's also the only one that can make my heart pound the way it does when he's around. And don't even get me started on how he makes me feel the few times he's kissed me. It's like he's the drug and I'm the addict that craves more. In one of my better fantasies, Gaara grabs me from behind, nips the shell of my ear, and growls 'Mine,' in a low tone. That makes a shudder go down my spine every time…but it will never happen._

_I should really stop having those sorts of fantasies…maybe if I just wrote down how I felt about Gaara I could get over him? It would sort of be like admitting to myself that I feel that way for him still. I mean, it's not like I don't try to deny my feelings for Gaara because I do. I really do try to bury them and forget about them but they always seem to come back…_

_I'm in love with Gaara; I love Gaara. There. I wrote it. Now will all those damn feelings stop pestering me? Probably not…I should turn off the light and go back to sleep since I don't want Shika waking up. He'll more than likely annoy me about the fact that I haven't spoken for about a month…whatever. He should just count my muteness as one of his blessings._

I had read a bit past the point I was supposed to but at the moment I didn't care. Putting Suki's journal down, I closed my eyes and thought of the small scenario she had described. _Mine…_I thought while lightly licking my lips. I had just barely been able to suppress a purr at the image of her fantasy being played out as I felt a warm tingling in the pit of my stomach. She was right; that was a good fantasy. Perhaps the two of us could play it out sometime in the future if...wait a moment, why was that the main focal point for me?!

"She loves me," I whispered, as realization hit me like a crashing wave. I jumped up from my seat as excitement took over my better sense of modesty. "She loves…Ngh!" Gripping the side of my head where a pounding sensation had started, I sat back down and gritted my teeth as images of a long forgotten dream flooded my memory.

I remembered a woman dressed in a seductive blue kimono that looked like Suki but wasn't Suki. I remembered the things she had said about residing in Suki's heart, about Suki's abilities, about the things Suki's family wanted to use her for, about what she wanted Suki to become. I even remembered some of her words.

_Suki ended up falling head over heels in love with you…you would have been more than just a dream…Suki's not in love with Kei, but she's responding to his love for her…you must reject her again…_

"No," I growled. "I won't do it again…I love her…" Ever so slowly I placed my hands on my desk and stood up again, looking at the ground. "So," Shikaku said with a small smirk on his face. "Are you going to help us or not?" I looked at him, resolve clear in my eyes and nodded. This time, come hell or high water I was going to tell Suki my true feelings. I wasn't going to lie to her again just to save face.

"I only have one question for you before we go," Shikaku Nara said, looking at me with a possessive fire in his eyes. "Do you love my daughter at all?"

"Mr. Nara," I said with more resolve than I ever thought I had in my entire being. "I have loved your daughter from the moment I met her; although I hadn't known it at the time. Back then, I was a naïve child that constantly put up walls to keep people out only to have Suki overcome them all. I was foolish to keep my true feelings hidden from her. I had thought that in doing so, I was protecting myself from hurting even more. It seems that I was not only hurting myself, but I was making the one person I had ever loved suffer. Had I any idea that she felt the same for me I would have told her. So, to make a long answer short, yes; I'm in love with your daughter."

Suki's father smiled and nodded, approving of my answer. Looking over at her brother, he gave me a half smile before walking over and patting me on the back once. "Looks like I was wrong about you," Shikamaru muttered. "It's rare for me to be proven wrong and I generally don't like it, but this time I'm really glad I was."

"We should get moving if we want to save your girlfriend," came a new voice.

Looking over at the open door, I saw Kankuro standing there with Temari next to him, a giant smirk on his face. "What makes you think you're coming," I asked angrily.

"You're going to need all the help you can get," Temari said before looking over at Shikamaru with a smirk. "Planning on going without even dropping by to say hello?"

"Damn," Shikamaru said in a bored tone. "I was hoping to avoid you at all costs…"

"Don't argue with your girlfriend Shikamaru," Shikaku said with a smirk.

"She's not my girlfriend Dad," Shikamaru growled. "What a drag…"

"I wouldn't date him if he was the last man on Earth," Temari muttered.

"Good, 'cause I wouldn't date you if you were the last woman on Earth."

"Glad we finally agree on something."

"Listen Gaara," Shikaku whispered while turning to look at me. "When you tell Suki how you feel…just be prepared for her to reject you at first. If she does, make sure she's looking you in the eye when she says it. She can't lie to you." I nodded slowly thankful for the advice.

"Come on," Kankuro said impatiently. "Are we going or what?"

"Quit your whining," Temari said before smacking him over the head. I felt myself smile a little as I walked towards the door. "Before I leave Lord Kusanagi," I said not bothering to look back at him. "I wanted to let you know that this may take a while and that you might want to stay at one of Suna's finer establishments before we bring back your fiancé. Just have a word with my secretary and I'm sure she will be able to help you."

"Thank you Lord Kazekage," he whispered. "I don't know what I can ever do to repay you…"

"Just one more thing," I said while looking at him over my shoulder with a smirk. "Your engagement is off; Suki's mine."


	35. Chapter 35

Suki's POV…five days later…

I sat in the corner of the dark cell wondering what was going to happen next. I didn't know how long I had been in here, all I knew was that it had been a very long time and I had no contact with the outside world. The cell itself was just a four walled room without windows and the only way I got food was when someone would slide it from underneath the slot of the door.

There was one small light in the center of the ceiling, lighting the area in a dull manner. The whole room itself was very dirty, and in fact the only part of me that wasn't covered in dirt were the two thin streaks on my cheeks from the tears I had wept much earlier. I sat in the right hand corner bending the shadows every which way to pass the time. "You know, you shouldn't waste your chakra like that," came a female voice.

Looking up astonished, I saw a woman clad in a dark blue kimono leaning against the wall. I felt as though I was looking into a mirror, but I knew I wasn't; I would not be dressed in such a slutty manner. Where she had come from I don't know; I hadn't even heard the door open. _Great, _I thought with a small sigh. _Either I'm really starting to suck as a ninja or I'm hallucinating._

"If you were losing your talent as a ninja I'd be rather upset," the woman chuckled as if reading my mind. "And trust me when I say this is no hallucination. It's more…like a reflective discussion with your inner self; although I don't think you'll be doing much talking since you haven't spoken in at least two weeks."

I shot the woman a questioning glance, wondering if it really had been that long. She smirked at me folded her arms and pushed off from the wall. "More or less," she answered. "I'm usually pretty good at deducing how much time has passed…anyway I suppose you're wondering who I am and what I'm doing here?" I snorted a little, thinking that that was the understatement of the century, but nodded anyway, motioning for her to continue.

"As for who I am, I think that should be obvious," the woman answered. "We share the same name although I start mine with a T. As for what I'm doing here…well I think it would be best if I explained from the beginning.

"A very long time ago, I was just like you; able to use the shadows as I pleased. This was back when the Nara clan thought it was dishonorable to use women as ninjas. They thought women had no place in the battlefield and because of this belief they killed off all the women who had the ability to use shadow jutsu's. That is why, for now, only the clan's males are able to use the clan jutsu," she explained. "I learned at a young age that I had to hide my abilities from everyone; but I was discovered at the age of fourteen by a boy four years older than me. Instead of turning me in like I knew he should have, he said he would keep my secret but only if he could train me. I was shocked by this, seeing as how it was the clan head's youngest son.

"For ten glorious years the two of us trained with one another in a secret field that only the two of us knew about. Soon I found myself falling in love with him and he with me. I was so happy then, full of life and love…only to have it ripped away by his eldest brother who was a cheat and a liar. You see, my love had excelled in using shadow jutsu's, surpassing his two brothers with ease. Their father noticed his abilities and had the two fight one another in front of the whole clan, stating that the winner would be the next clan head. Before entering the arena he turned to me, placed his hand upon my cheek and said that he would win the fight, so that he could change the ways of the clan and that we would be married if I would have him…"

"It was a battle I would never forget," she whispered, reliving the painful memory. "The man I loved easily defeated his eldest brother, leaving him with minor injuries and a very damaged ego. He then turned to his father stating that he felt it unnecessary to kill his own flesh and blood; that he did not want to take control of the clan with blood on his hands. It was then that his brother summoned the last of his strength and shot a spike pillar made from shadows through my lover's heart, leaving him to bleed to death on the ground. Instead of disowning his eldest son, their father stated that he had proven himself the strongest and that he would become clan head. It was then that I vowed vengeance upon the clan.

"An all consuming hatred replaced the love I once felt, and I bided my time waiting to strike. The shadows I trained with soon became my only friends and I became one with them. Soon I realized that I was no longer using the shadows cast by light, but the ones inside me. No longer did I need to perform hand-signs; all I needed to do was think of where I wanted them to go.

"My revenge came on the night the eldest son married the woman he loved. During their wedding reception in front of the highest members of the clan, I took her life in the same manner he took his brothers. Once I escaped, I was branded a rogue by the clan and they sent their very best ninjas out to kill me. They found me six months later, and just as they delivered the final blow, I locked my shadow with the middle brother's and transferred my soul into his body, locking myself away in his heart until I could carry out the rest of my revenge. Again I waited; passing down through children I felt had the most potential. For generations I waited, finally passing down from your grandfather, to your father, to you."

"I had had reservations about whether or not to choose you, but I saw your potential," the woman said with a smirk. "You had more power than I ever dreamed possible Suki Nara, but you could be even better than you are now…if the two of us fuse our powers together, we could destroy the clan we hate so much."

I stared at the woman wide eyed. Was what she had said true or was I really hallucinating all this? If it was true and I did decide to fuse my powers with this woman, what about my parents and my brother? Would she kill them too? Had Dad known about all this as well?

"He did know," the woman said, catching me off guard. "As did your mother, and both the Hokages; your brother however had no idea but I wouldn't be surprised if your father told him after you were taken by your uncle." Okay, now this woman was freaking me out with this mind reading shit. How was she able to tell what I was thinking?

"Because I'm inside you that's why," she muttered angrily. "Now will you accept my proposal?"

I shook my head slowly after thinking about it a little more. Yeah I hated my family but I didn't want to kill them. I just wanted them to leave me alone. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone. "Even Gaara," she asked. I felt myself freeze at the mention of his name. I blushed a little, thinking that maybe I wouldn't want to be left alone by him; left alone _with_ him on the other hand…

"You love him don't you," the woman asked, a smirk on her face again. "You love him so much and yet you know you can't have him." A sinking feeling started in my chest and fell to the pit of my stomach as I closed my eyes. _No,_ I thought, trying to deny the feelings I had for him once more. _I don't love him…_

"Suki," I heard his voice. Opening my eyes, I saw him kneeling in front of me, reaching out a hand to touch my cheek. "Gaara," I mouthed. Was it really him or was I dreaming? "How desperate are you," the woman sighed. "If you can't tell the person you love from a hallucination, then you don't truly love them."

I ignored her comment as the figure of Gaara slowly caressed my cheek and smiled softly at me. Hot tears slowly streamed down my cheeks as I looked at him. "You cry so easily," he said, his once kind persona now becoming bitter. He stood and glared down at me with cold eyes. "I've already told you," Gaara said. "I love Matsuri. The fact that you keep clinging on to this small hope that I might love you is sickening."

I shook my head and reached out to touch Gaara's hand, but he took a step back. "All those times I kissed you while on the mission, all those times I touched you and held you close, did you think I was thinking of you," he asked with a small smirk. "Don't make me sick. I always had to imagine you were Matsuri to keep myself from getting physically ill. You're a nice girl Suki, but you're too damaged. No one in their right mind could ever love you."

The tears flowed even stronger now as I shook my head again. Gaara looked down at me with cold eyes before kneeling in front of me again. "Look at me Suki," he said while roughly grabbing my chin and forcing me to look him in the eye. "I never loved you, nor will I ever love you."

"No," I whispered as Gaara let go of my chin and took a step back. The tears didn't even show a sign of stopping as I slowly curled up into a ball and rocked back and forth. "You really thought a man like Gaara could love you," the woman asked while draping her arms around Gaara's shoulders. "No one could love you Suki; especially not Gaara. How could you even think someone like him could love you?"

"You're nothing Suki," Gaara said with a snort. "You will always be nothing to me." Shadows began to swirl around me as I gripped my aching head. "No," I shouted as the shadows became thicker and thicker. "You're not the real Gaara! He would never say something like that!"

I screamed as the figure of Gaara burst into shadows and the woman let out a slight growl. "Fine," she said once I stopped screaming. "My offer still stands; my power is unimaginable and would greatly increase yours. If you want it, then all you have to do is ask…" With a maniacal laughter, the woman melted into the shadows on the floor and slowly slithered towards me before attaching itself to my shadow.

The door to the cell opened and I slammed my head against the wall behind me. _Stop making me hallucinate, _I thought just as someone entered the room. The pain on the back of my head was near excruciating and I hissed as I felt the back with one hand. No blood which was a good thing, but still hurt like a bitch.

"She's still got a lot of spirit left," a man said while walking to the side to allow another one to enter. Both were dressed in the same black attire that the other ninja's I had faced about two weeks ago. They even had on the same black masks.

"No surprise there," the one that had just entered said. I shivered once I heard him speak. It was my uncle, Hikaku. "You sure you'll be able to handle her, Atsuko," he asked. A girl a few years older then I was entered the room with a small smile. "I don't think she'll be too much of a problem Uncle Hikaku," she said while bowing to me. "My name is Atsuko and I'm very pleased to meet you Suki."

"She was kind enough to take you in for your last night," the man on the right said while grabbing some wire from his tool pouch as Hikaku used a jutsu to bind my hands and feet. "Now don't even think about using your jutsu's, or Hikaku will tear you apart."

I glared at the man as he wrapped my wrists with the wire, and I could feel it start to drain my already low chakra. "You're probably wondering why we're moving you to better quarters," Hikaku said with a smirk. "Tomorrow morning, the clan leader would like to see just how strong you've become by having you battle with all the high ranking clan members. I'm doubtful that you'll be able to do very much…"

"Please Uncle Hikaku," Atsuko said. "You shouldn't say such things…"

"Come on," the man who wrapped my wrists said. "Follow me." Slowly I stood up and followed the man with Hikaku behind me. Atsuko had decided to stand next to me and would not for one minute stop talking. "It's so nice to finally meet you face to face," she said with a smile. "I don't think we ever met before this…although my mother and your father are siblings. That would make us cousins wouldn't it? Our other cousins, the ones who met you anyway, would always say that you were some sort of monster or something like that and tell the rest of us horror stories about how evil you were, but I never believed them. It was more than likely because your father was Mom's favorite older brother. 'Your Uncle Shikaku was always a laid back and lazy person,' she would say to me, 'but he had a big heart and I don't doubt for one moment that his children are just as kind as he is.' You're going to have to tell me all about your family. I've always wanted to meet them and…"

"Do you ever shut up for one second Atsuko," the man in front of me shouted back to the girl, who claimed to be my cousin. "For crying out loud, this isn't a family reunion, she's a prisoner! Just because you're getting married to the clan leaders son doesn't mean you won't feel the back of my hand if you keep pissing me off!"

Atsuko glared at the man in front of her, but shut her mouth anyway. I was a little thankful that he got her to shut up, but at the same time he was a bit rude about it. Had I any energy at all I would have smacked him one. Instead I just kept walking down the dark hallway until we reached the outside.

My eyes widened at the sight of all the buildings. The Nara compound was huge! It could rival the Hyuga compound it was so large. The place was even built in the same style; tiled roofs, white walls, and even sliding doors. Atsuko smiled as I marveled at all the structures as we walked down the main dirt path to her place.

The people going about their daily business stopped and stared at the procession walking by. Some glared at me angrily, others looked at me with fear in their eyes, once in awhile someone would shout an insult and one or twice a rock was thrown at me. Why they hated me so much I didn't know, nor did I really care at the moment. Sure it upset me, especially when the younger children would cling to their mothers and either scream or cry.

"Suki," I heard a familiar voice shout. "Suki!"

Turning my head to look behind me, I saw Tanaka running towards me with a woman right behind him. The little boy was sobbing and grabbed hold of my leg once he reached me. "I-I wanna go home," he sobbed. "I want mommy!" I squatted down and brought my arms down over his head to his back so I could hug him. "Shhh," I whispered with a small smile. "It's okay Tanaka."

The woman that had been running after him froze when she saw me kneeling down in front of Tanaka. "They said…they said that Dad was gonna come get me," the boy wept as his whole body shook. "I don't wanna go with Dad…I want Mommy!" I knew he was afraid of his father, and I didn't doubt that he had suffered his father's wrath time and again. There was no way I would let this innocent child be taken away by Tessi Kusanagi.

"I know kiddo," I whispered while looking him in the eye. "I know…now look at me. I promise that I'll get you back to your mother okay? I promise you won't be going back to your father; even if I have to die to make sure of it." The little boy nodded and wrapped his arms around my neck as I lifted him up off the ground, my hands still bound.

"Damn it Hina," Hikaku said. "I told you to watch that kid!"

"I'm sorry Hikaku," the woman said with a small bow. "I only looked away for two seconds and he rushed off once he saw her." Hikaku growled at the woman and made to grab at Tanaka. The boy let out a small squeal and ducked away from Hikaku's hands as I took a step to the side. "Touch the child again," I snarled as the boy buried his face in my neck. "And I'll kill you; got it?"

"Hina is his charge now, not you," Hikaku said. "Now hand him over."

"No," I answered while Tanaka's grip on me became stronger. "You'll have to kill me first." Hikaku gritted his teeth and glared at me while clenching his fists. "Please," Atsuko said. "The boy can stay with us tonight. His father is coming to claim him soon anyway so I can take care of him with Suki…"

"Fine," Hikaku said, his glare never leaving mine. "But only until the morning got it?" I nodded slowly, knowing that I was going to have to come up with some sort of plan before Tessi arrived. "Are you sure he should stay with her," the woman named Hina whispered. "I mean, she is a relentless killer…"

"You want to paint a picture of me as some unfeeling killing machine in front of the other clan members then fine," I growled while turning my glare onto her. "I couldn't really give a shit, but to do it in front of an impressionable child that has absolutely nothing to do with this clan kind of makes me want to turn into that killing machine you think I am."

The woman seemed to shrink back in fear at my harsh words and Hikaku smiled. "Would you rather let us grant this little whim of hers Hina," he asked. "Or would you rather have her go on a rampage?" Hina nodded slightly before turning away and rushing off as fast as she could. It looked like everyone but the ninja's of the clan and Atsuko were afraid of me. "Let's get moving," the man in the lead said gruffly. "I want to get this over with."

We reached Atsuko's house fairly soon after that and Hikaku cut my bonds after I put down Tanaka. He still clung to me like glue though. "Don't think you can make a break for it Little Moon," Hikaku said. "We've laid traps everywhere outside this house, not to mention the fact that Ikkaku and I will be watching you like a hawk. Even if you do manage to escape which is doubtful, we'll kill the kid; got it?"

I nodded and gave my uncle a very sour look. It's not like I had been planning on escaping right now since I was extremely low on chakra and had no idea where I was, although the surrounding mountains outside the compound suggested I was in a small valley. "Come in and make yourself at home Suki," Atsuko said after opening the sliding front door. "If there is anything you'd like, just let me know okay?"

My eyes widened at the sight of Atsuko's house. It was a pristine clean, with tamati mats covering the floor and traditional sliding rice paper and bamboo doors. She led me to a larger room with a low table and four cushions. Tanaka smiled slightly and quickly sat down on one and pat the one next to him, hoping I would sit next to him. "Are you hungry at all," Atsuko asked. I nodded slightly as Tanaka grinned. "You bet," he said as I took the seat next to him. "I haven't eaten very much since I was so worried about Suki…but now that I know she's safe I'm really hungry!"

Atsuko smiled at the little boy and went into the next room which I assumed was the kitchen. The one called Ikkaku stood leaned against the doorway and seemed to smirk at me through his mask, his black eyes roaming up and down my body. "She's not the kind you could dominate easily Ikkaku," Hikaku said while appearing behind him. "I'd suggest you wait until you see your girlfriend again."

"I'm not as desperate as you'd like to think old man," Ikkaku said with a grunt. "A woman like that isn't worth the time." I felt myself smirk a bit at his comment as he went into the kitchen. There was a sudden crash and I felt my smirk fall as Tanaka and I looked at one another with worry. Hikaku just calmly knelt down in one corner of the room with a sigh as a shout came from the other room. "Stupid bitch," Ikkaku shouted as I heard a loud slapping sound.

"Stay here," I whispered to Tanaka before getting up.

Calmly, I walked slid the door to the next room open and shut it behind me before glaring over at Ikkaku. He had Atsuko pinned to the floor, her wrists pinned above her head with one of his hands as he straddled her waist. It was obvious that he had cut her kimono's obi open with a kunai and had said kunai in the opposite hand, running the blade against her exposed flesh as she looked up at him with horror.

"You're going to regret bumping into me like that girly," Ikkaku muttered while squeezing one of her breasts. Atsuko let out a small squeal of fright as the man stared down at her lustfully. I kicked at a knife Atsuko must have dropped on the ground to make my presence known.

"Are you planning on watching us Hikaku," Ikkaku asked as I just about reached my boiling point. "Or are you going to join in?" Summoning what little chakra I had left at this point, I used the shadows around me to lift the man into the air and threw him through a doorway that lead outside to a rock garden. He landed with a surprised oomph in the sand as I stepped over the broken doors onto the wooden porch.

"Pathetic," I muttered as he clutched his sides and glared at me. "Not only are you planning on raping a woman, but there is a child in the next room as well…I don't know if I should just rip your head off or torture you first; although the latter sounds much more enjoyable." Slowly I had the shadows surround him and spike upwards so that if he even moved one inch he would be either cut or stabbed.

Ikkaku's breathing became sporadic as one of the spikes ever so slowly came closer to his left eye. "Stop this," Atsuko pleaded while kneeling next to me, clutching her kimono together to keep it from separating and exposing her body. "Please…it's not right to do this."

Looking down into her dark blue eyes, I found myself shaking my head and retracting the spikes just a bit. "He just tried to take advantage of you in the worst way possible and you expect me to just let this go," I asked while clenching my fists.

"I'm not saying what he did was right," Atsuko whispered. "But he is the brother is my future husband…"

"Has this happened before," I asked slowly.

She didn't answer.

"Has it happened before?!"

"Of course it has," came Hikaku's voice from behind me as he placed a kunai at my neck. "I'm sure it will happen to her even after she's married but what does it matter? She'll have it made once she's married to the clan leader's son. All Atsuko is supposed to be is something for others to look at and admire, nothing else."

"She's an object then," I muttered.

"More or less," my uncle answered. "Now retract those spikes and I won't make you bleed like a stuck pig."

"I hate this clan," I grumbled while pulling the spikes back. Ikkaku stood up and glared at me, still clutching his sides. "You should go get that looked at," Hikaku said as the other ninja stomped past. "I can take care of things from here."

"If you think I'm gonna let that little bitch off," Ikkaku said angrily.

"That was an order Ikkaku," Hikaku barked. "Leave now."

The younger ninja didn't say anything to his superior, just let out a grumble and disappeared. Once he was gone, my uncle pulled back his kunai and walked back into the room where Tanaka was. "Why," Atsuko whispered while looking at the ground. "Why would you do something like that for someone you barely know?"

"You think I'm as bad as they say," I asked. Atsuko looked up at me and shook her head with a sad smile. "No," she whispered while pushing some of her waist length midnight black hair behind her ear. "It's just that no one has ever protected me like that before. Women are owned by the men of this clan, we are nothing more than objects and yet you…you act so different from the other women. You're stronger than the rest of us and able to stand up for yourself. Is that why they're afraid of you so much?"

"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "I just know that I can't stand watching people being treated like dirt. Even if I weren't a ninja I probably would have tried to stop him from taking advantage of you."

"You're not afraid of anything are you," she asked while standing up. I shrugged again. "There's a lot that I'm afraid of," I whispered. "Like losing the people I care the most about, never being able to see the person I love ever again, things like that."

"But you don't shy away from a fight do you," Atsuko asked.

"I guess I don't," I mumbled with a small smirk. "Good grief, you're making me sound like Naruto…"

"Who's he?"

"Just a guy I know who doesn't back down from anything," I said. "Although he is a bit thick headed, he's really kind and never gives up on anyone or anything. He has this crazy dream of becoming the Hokage one day and he'll probably get there one day since he's so strong."

"Is he your boyfriend," Atsuko teased.

"Hell no," I said with a small grimace. "Just…no! The thought of dating him never crossed my mind. The guy is like another brother to me. He also happens to be dating my best friend too; besides I'm also sort of engaged."

"I see," she said slowly, more than likely thinking of her own engagement. "What's the man you're marrying like?"

"Kei? Well he's very nice and considerate towards others," I answered. "He's also very sincere, although he has a fun side to him as well. He is protective of the people he cares about and when he sees something he wants he goes for it."

"He sounds like a wonderful man," Atsuko said.

"Well once you get passed his flirty side he is," I said with a smile, thinking of the ways Kei and I had not only flirted, but blatantly hit on one another before attacking each other with heated kisses. That man just knew how to turn a girl on…

"Still," Atsuko mumbled with a small smile. "This Kei person sounds much more interesting than my husband to be. At least he sounds like he cares for you." I nodded slowly. "Kei really does care about me," I whispered. "In fact I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't already hired ninja's to come save me and Tanaka…"

"I wish I could have met someone like him," Atsuko said with a small sigh. I felt a little bad for Atsuko, seeing as how she had to deal with a marriage she obviously didn't want and being treated as an object by everyone wasn't fair even in the slightest. There wasn't anything I could do about it though. I was just as trapped as she was at this point.

"You don't want this marriage do you," I asked as my cousin looked off into the distance. She seemed to have tears in her eyes as she swallowed hard. "It's not my place to question it," she whispered. "Whether or not I want it doesn't matter. I've been engaged to the clan leaders son since I was born and have been raised my whole life to be just that. All I know is that I must please him in every way I can; the thought of running away never really occurred to me because this is all I can do. I was raised to be a good wife that doesn't express her opinion to the actions of her husband."

"Doesn't sound like much of a life," I muttered while folding my arms. "I can't help but feel sorry for you."

"I'm not looking for your pity," Atsuko said, looking at me angrily.

"I'm not giving you any," I said. "I just feel empathetic. Is that alright with you?" Atsuko's look softened a little and she gave me a small smile. "You know what," she whispered. "You look like you could use a bath. Why not go and take one while I get dinner ready?"

"Actually I wouldn't mind a bath," I said while giving her a small smile. "I mean, I have been locked up in a jail cell for two weeks." Atsuko's smile grew as she nodded. "The bath house is over there," she said while pointing to a small wooden structure just beyond the small rock garden. "I'll bring you some fresh clothes after I change too."

"Thank you," I said as she brushed some more of her hair behind her ear.

"I'll let Hikaku know where you are," she said as she turned to walk back inside. Practically skipping to the bath house, I couldn't help but wonder if this might be my last day alive. There was that whole battling the highest ranking members of the clan thing tomorrow morning and I doubted I would have recovered enough chakra by then. Not only that, but Tessi would be coming to take back Tanaka…

"I don't really know what I can do," I whispered as I started to undress in the bath house. "I know I told Atsuko that Kei was probably coming with ninja's he hired and I wouldn't doubt Dad was on his way too but…what if they don't make it in time?"

Sighing softly, I submersed my body into the warm water of the large tub in the center of the wooden room and found myself thinking of Gaara. I wonder if he knew that it was me who had been kidnapped this time around. Seeing as how he was such a good friend, he would probably come after me the same way I went after him when he was abducted by the Akatsuki; although if I died no one would be around to bring me back to life.

"Doubtful he would know about this though," I muttered to myself. "Plus he's very busy being the Kazekage and all…"

Feeling a presence behind me I stiffened, only to remember that it was probably Hikaku. Relaxing again I sighed a little and closed my eyes. That was when someone grabbed me by the hair and yanked my head back. Struggling against the hand, my eyes flew open and I came face to face with Ikkaku's green eyes. "You know," he said as he placed a kunai at my throat. "I really don't like it when someone interrupts my fun. Atsuko may not be the most satisfying fuck but she's the best one around here. Then again, someone who's been trained as a kunoichi must know how to please a man."

I felt his breath upon my neck as his the hand gripping my hair let go and traveled south to my chest where he cupped my left breast. "I know you don't have much chakra left so why not just have a little fun," he whispered before nipping my neck. "You're going to die tomorrow anyway."

"No," I shouted as I felt his hand squeeze my breast. "Let me go!" I grabbed his hand with my own and shoved it away.

"Just relax and enjoy it," Ikkaku said as he grabbed me by the hair again. "If you satisfy me maybe I can talk to my father and he'll grant you a little leniency. Now stand up…"

"Lies," I shouted as he pulled me to my feet and threw me out of the tub and onto the wooden floor. God what was with these people and yanking someone by their hair?!

Wet and shivering in the cool air, I covered my body with my hands as best I could. "Get away from me," I shouted while giving Ikkaku a good kick in the shins. That disoriented him enough for me to flip over and scramble towards the door on all fours.

"Bitch," Ikkaku shouted. It didn't take long for him to jump on top of me and flip me onto my back again. "You're going to regret that," he muttered while grabbing both of my wrists and wrapping them in ninja wire. That didn't stop me from pounding against his chest with my fists so he then tied wire around the one that was binding my wrists and tied the other end of it to one of the wooden bars that was covering the only window in the small bath house.

The wire dug into my wrists and I could feel it start to drain the few drops of chakra I had left. Ikkaku pulled down his mask to reveal a sinister smirk in my direction as he straddled my waist and I kicked out with my legs. This didn't help matters, in fact it only seemed to make things worse since he had shadows grab onto my ankles and pull my legs apart.

"You said something about knowing the Kazekage earlier," he said before licking the middle and index finger of his right hand. "He ever do this to you?"

Closing my eyes I shrieked as the two fingers penetrated me roughly and began to move around. _If you want this to end,_ a voice in my head said. _Accept my gift! Let our souls fuse so that we may destroy this clan forever!_

"No," I shouted as I felt tears come down the sides of my face. "Stop it!"

"Seems like you've done your fair share of men," Ikkaku said while licking his lips. "Do a lot of missions requiring sex? You must be a horny little whore…" I shook my head and struggled against the bonds in vain. Panic flooded my mind and I shouted the only two names that came to my mind.

"Gaara," I screamed. "Gaara…Shika, help!"

"You call out your brothers name when you're about to get fucked," Ikkaku said with a laugh while grabbing my breast with his left hand. "You're fucking sick; and I don't know who this Gaara is but he'll never be able to help you."

"Gaara," I mumbled again. "Please…"

"Ikkaku you fucking bastard," came an angry voice. Shadows wrapped around Ikkaku's waist and he was ripped off of me and thrown into a wall. "You keep your filthy hands off her do you understand?!"

Ikkaku smirked a little as he looked at the man that had now entered the bath house. "What you upset 'cause I got to her first Hikaku," he asked as my uncle used the shadows to pin him to the wall. "If you wanted her so badly you could have just taken her."

"Release her legs," Hikaku growled. "NOW!"

"Fine," Ikkaku said as he released the jutsu. "She struggles though, so you're going to have to watch it."

"You're disgusting," Hikaku muttered. "She happens to be my brother's daughter." The smirk never fell Ikkaku's face as he scoffed. "I've heard the stories Hikaku," he said. "You've gone on for years about how you wanted a piece of that bitch. She may be your niece but you still want to screw her."

"Not like this," my uncle whispered. "I'd rather a woman like her submitted to me instead of raping her."

My eyes widened and I felt my stomach twist itself into knots. I was horribly nauseous right now, hoping against all hope that my own uncle, who happened to be eighteen years older than me, didn't think about me like that. Gods was I going to be sick…

"I'll only say this once Ikkaku," Hikaku said while slowly lowering Ikkaku and letting him go. "Keep away from Suki. I don't need you around to help guard her anymore so get out."

"Can't," Ikkaku said. "They assigned me here to guard her from you. Did you know he wants to screw you kiddo? Told his best friend he wanted that innocent body of yours but stopped himself because he wanted you to mature a bit more? He's probably hard as a rock right now from seeing you naked."

"You would be wrong to think that I can't control myself," my uncle said. "Unlike you I don't need to screw everything that walks. So get out of here like I said before; that's an order from your superior." Ikkaku just snorted but left anyway, with me still tied up and completely naked for anyone to take advantage of.

If what he had said about Hikaku was true, I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. If I had any stomach contents they would be on the floor right now, I was so sick. I could feel my uncle's eyes boring into me as he panted heavily. He slowly took a step towards me and I quickly pushed myself away from him using my feet. After a bit I sat up and scooted my way to the wall behind me.

"Look," Hikaku said a little upset. "I'm not going to touch you okay?"

"Yeah," I retorted. "And I'm going to trust you because I have every reason to right?" Instead of answering me, my uncle grabbed a nearby towel and walked over to me. "Here," he muttered while throwing it over my body. "At least cover yourself up."

I stared at him a little confused. If what Ikkaku had said was true then why wasn't my uncle taking advantage of the situation? He had back in the forest when he captured me hadn't he? I mean here I was completely stripped of any clothes and he wasn't going to do anything to me? This just didn't seem right.

Instead, Hikaku pulled out a kunai and made to cut the ninja wire but stopped just as the blade touched the cable. "You deserve an explanation," he said while retracting the weapon. "Or what you would probably think of as an excuse. Before I start explaining though, I would like you to answer a question."

"Depends on the question," I snapped angrily.

"It's fairly simple," Hikaku said with what looked like a dangerous smirk behind his mask. "It's just my curiosity that needs to be sated at the moment. Why _did_ you call out your brother's name while Ikkaku was doing that to you?"

I did my best to shrug and looked my uncle in the eye. "It's because Shika was always there for me when we were growing up," I said. "He did his best to protect me whenever the clan did something to hurt me and would fight to the death to keep me alive. He's not just my twin brother; he's also my best friend."

"And that Gaara person you called out for?"

I felt myself blush as I looked down at the ground. "He's not really anyone worth mentioning," I mumbled. "Just a close friend that was always there for me; he's always been able to protect me when I needed it most. Our pasts are fairly similar but unlike me, he had no friends to lean on until my friend Naruto literally beat some sense into him."

"I see," Hikaku whispered. "I'm assuming that Gaara is the one they call Gaara of the Sand? The one from the Sand Village who would kill anyone who looked at him wrong? People say he's a blood thirsty monster who never felt anything in his life."

"He's not like that," I shouted angrily. "Gaara's more kind and gentle than any person I know! He's always been there for me, and has saved many lives on countless occasions, not to mention my own. The reason he once was what you call a 'monster' is because during his childhood everyone in his village made him out to be one! They persecuted and alienated him, treating him like an animal until that was all he thought he was. When he finally began to fight back they called him a monster, but those people were the real monsters…"

"Interesting," Hikaku muttered after I finished my rant. "Looks like the shadow really did fall for the one who couldn't feel love. The question is, has he learned to love as well?"

"All Gaara needed to be shown was that he mattered to someone else," I whispered softly. "Friendship was what he needed the most at the time and somehow Naruto and I got through to him."

"I see," Hikaku said while folding his arms across his chest. "So the prophecy hasn't come full circle just yet…"

"It's your turn," I said while glaring at him, hating the fact that he brought up that stupid prophecy. "You said you would give me an explanation and I would like one."

"Fair enough," Hikaku said. "You've more than sated my curiosity, now it's my turn to satisfy yours. What Ikkaku said was fairly true, although you should understand why I am this way." I felt my stomach lurch and I knew that if I had anything inside it, it would no longer be there.

"The last clan leader stated that whoever was the strongest member would marry the girl from the prophecy," he said. "When you and your brother were born, your father was the strongest and the smartest of us all, but there's no way you could marry your father. So after the current clan leader found out that you were the girl from the prophecy, he decided to hold a contest for the male members between the ages of fifteen and twenty five years old. The prize was never really established, and the contest was mandatory so being twenty three at the time I was forced to compete.

"Being competitive is one of my vices so I trained my hardest to win the contest, thinking that if I did win and impress everyone, my status as a clan member will go up," my uncle continued. "The day of the contest came and I gave it my all. No one was able to measure up to me that day and when I was announced the winner, my heart leapt. I thought that perhaps I had a shot at becoming clan leader one day, until the leader himself stated that I had won the right to marry you."

"You could have just said that we were related you know," I muttered, not exactly buying the story. Although with this crazy clan you never really knew…

"I had, but they said that wasn't enough to disqualify me," Hikaku said. "There was nothing to do; all I could do was feel disgusted about the fact that they wanted me to marry my own niece. I began to resent you, hating the fact that you even existed. That was when I felt that the only way out of this was to kill you…"

"Was that why you beat me half to death all those years ago," I asked in a low voice. Hikaku nodded. "All the anger I felt I took out on you," he said slowly. "When I was certain you were close to death I threw you into the river, hoping it would finish you off. Guilt started to consume me when I realized that not only had I killed my brother's daughter, but someone who I had at one point considered special. I started to realize that you were just an innocent child at the time and that it hadn't been your fault at all. The day I found out you were still alive I felt such elation and vowed to make it up to you; not as your uncle, but as your future husband."

"I don't see how that explains anything," I said as Hikaku finally cut the wire.

"I had stopped thinking of myself as your uncle Suki, a very long time ago. The clan wanted me to become your husband so I began to tell myself that that was what I was to you. It disgusted me at first but I slowly began to get used to the idea. Even so, I never wanted to force myself upon you and knew that you would more than likely reject me. But even so," Hikaku said while kneeling in front of me and placing a gentle hand on my cheek. "Would you become mine Suki?"

Quickly I slapped his hand away and glared at the man as I wrapped the towel around my body, sick to my stomach. "This clan makes me sick," I muttered angrily as I stood up. "I haven't thought of you as my uncle since you tried to kill me Hikaku and ever since that day I've hated you."

Hikaku stood suddenly and grabbed my arm roughly before whirling me around to face him. "Don't you understand I'm your only way out," he said harshly. "They will kill you tomorrow!"

"Then I'll die," I shouted back, ripping my arm from him. "I don't care if I do anyway! It's not like this clan wanted me to live in the first place!"

Stomping out of the bath house, I quickly made my way to Atsuko's house. Once inside, I slammed the sliding door shut as best I could and walked to the dining area where she was entertaining Tanaka. She looked at me shocked, but didn't question why I was only wrapped only in a towel.

Instead she just beckoned me to her room and handed me a light sleeping yukata. "Here," she said softly. "Your clothes are still being washed and will ready for you tomorrow morning."

"Thanks," I said while taking the yukata from her.

"Would you like something to eat," she asked as I started to change. I shook my head. "All I want is some sleep," I whispered. "I'll eat in the morning." Atsuko nodded and showed me to a small room with two futon's. It was furnished like the rest of the house, in a Japanese style setting, complete with the tamati mats on the floor. "You'll be sharing this with Tanaka for tonight," she said. "I'll wake you in the morning."

"Thank you Atsuko," I said. She smiled softly at me and then left me alone. Once I crawled on top of the futon, I instantly fell into a deep sleep.

_Slowly, I opened my eyes and found myself in that damn field again. This time I was just lying in the grass by myself, with no one else around. "Every night," I muttered to myself. "For the past fucking month…you'd think it would change a bit but nooooo…same dream."_

_I breathed a heavy sigh and closed my eyes, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I would wake up. _Accept me,_ a voice in the wind whispered. _Accept me and we can get rid of this wretched clan forever…

"_Leave me the hell alone," I shouted while sitting up quickly. The voice finally stopped and I pulled my legs toward me. "Just leave me alone," I whispered again. "I want to be alone…"_

_Hugging my legs to me, I looked over to the right and felt my breath catch in my throat. Standing just a little ways away, with their back to me, was someone I really wanted to see. His flaming red hair and red trench coat blew in the breeze as he stood there. "Gaara," I breathed. _

_As if the figure heard me, he turned his head and I felt myself smile a little. His turquoise eyes gazed at me and he fully turned around. "Suki," he whispered; his eyes wide. "Suki…" He started to run towards me, only to be attacked by the shadows. They began to wrap themselves around his legs so that he couldn't move and started to slash at him._

"_No," I shouted while running towards him. "Gaara!"_

"_See what they'll do to him," came the voice of the woman I had met earlier. "If they find out how much he means to you, they will torture him first and then kill him." Just as the words were spoken, Gaara was stabbed from behind by a spike pillar._

_I could feel my body begin to shake as I reached him. His breathing was raspy, and a trickle of blood was coming down the side of his mouth. Tears spilled from my eyes as the shadows slowly retreated and left him on the ground, bleeding to death. "Suki," he managed to choke out. I shook my head, telling him not to speak as I knelt next to him._

"_Don't say anything," I whispered while taking his hand and squeezing it in mine. "Gaara…I'm sorry…it's my fault."_

"_No," he murmured while shaking his head slowly. His eyes slowly started to close as his breathing started to slow. "No," I said as my throat closed. "Don't…please don't die on me." Ever so slowly I brought the hand I was holding to my lips and kissed it as he breathed his last breath._

"_I love you," I whispered while the tears began to fall even more._

"_They will not show him any kindness," said the woman as she stood in front of me. She waved her hand and the figure of Gaara became one with the shadows. "He will stay away if he knows what's good for him. Besides, it's not like he would come for you is it?" Her smile was sinister and I looked away from her._

"_He has no idea you're here," she said with a small laugh. "Even if he did know he wouldn't come. He doesn't love you. How could he? He doesn't even know a thing about your past."_

"_Leave me alone," I whispered. "Just leave me alone." The woman laughed again, but left me to myself all the same. Wiping my eyes as I knelt there, I felt a hand gently touch my shoulder. Screaming with fright, I whirled around and fell onto my back._

"_Suki," the person that touched me said. "It's okay; it's only me." Looking at the person, I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Stop doing this to me," I whispered as I sat up. "Stop making me dream of him…"_

"_Suki," the new Gaara said while extending his hand to me. "I have something important to tell you." I snorted and stood up on my own. "What is it this time," I asked before turning away. "Are you going to tell me you've decided to marry Matsuri or are you going to say that you love me and then disappear like you do every night?"_

"_Suki please," Gaara said while grabbing a hold of my arm and turning me to face him. "I don't know how much time I'll have to say this…but you need to know that I'm coming for you okay?"_

"_What," I whispered as I looked him in the eye. Gaara's hands cupped my cheeks and wiped away the last remnant's of my tears as he looked back at me; his turquoise eyes filled with a sort of resolve. "I promise," he said. "I'm going to rescue you and take you home."_

"_Home," I murmured. What he was saying wasn't exactly registering with my brain since he was holding me so close. "Yes," Gaara said as one of his hands left my cheek to wrap around my waist. "Back to Suna; where you belong." A blush came to my face as Gaara suddenly pulled me in for a mind blowing kiss._

_The kiss felt so much like the ones Gaara and I had shared; it was as if the real Gaara was kissing me, and not some vision of him. I groaned slightly while wrapping my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. His grip on me tightened before pulling away and looking me in the eye again._

"_Gaara," I mumbled before placing my head on his chest. "I want to go home...home to Suna; I belong there with you. I want to be with you. Gaara, I…" Before I could finish my sentence, a shadow wrapped around my waist and ripped me from Gaara's strong arms._

"_You have been a thorn in my side for almost five years now Sabuko no Gaara," came an angry voice. It was the woman in the blue kimono again, holding Gaara high above the ground with the shadows that surrounded the area. _

"_You should never have come," she hissed as the shadow's tightened around Gaara. "You have no power here…you will die this time Gaara."_

"_Leave him alone," I shouted, struggling against the shadows that held me back. "Don't hurt him!"_

"_Give me one good reason," the woman asked, turning her head towards me. "Is it because he's special to you? Is it because you care so deeply for him? Those are reasons I would accept, but only if he felt the same towards you. Trouble is, I don't see any feeling in him at all…"_

"_You're wrong," I said. "Gaara cares for others, even if it doesn't show sometimes."_

"_Then tell me what you see behind these eyes," the woman said with a small chuckle. "All I see is hate and destruction. This boy was raised like a feral animal; all he knows is anger, hate, and death. You think he's changed, but has he? Can he feel for you the same way you feel for him? What makes you think he won't become that animal again one day?"_

"_Gaara's not like that," I whispered. "He's a good person…"_

"_You have doubts," the woman said. "You doubt because you've seen the monster he can be…look him in the eye and tell me that he'll never be like that again."_

_I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked at the ground. It wasn't that I was afraid of Gaara; in fact I knew he wasn't a monster at all but I was still afraid. If I did look at him, what would I see? Could he go back to being the way he once was? Perhaps he could if he were pushed down that road again. I shook my head, indicating that I didn't think he would, but I still didn't look at him._

"_Look him in the eye and tell me what you see," the woman shouted. A shadow hand grabbed my hair and pulled my head back so that I would be forced to look in Gaara's direction. I closed my eyes, afraid of what I might see. "You won't see any emotion on him. The boy is as unreadable as a book that's been bound on all sides."_

"_Suki," Gaara whispered to me. "Please, look at me." Swallowing again, I slowly opened my eyes to look at him. It was the same Gaara, the usual stoic face in place, the only part of him expressing anything was his eyes. _

"_You know I was like that once Suki," he said with a hint of remorse. "You did see the worst of me, but I was alone back then. No one wanted to see me as anything but a monster, except you. You told me once that I didn't have to be alone anymore and I'm not. I'm not because I have you as my friend Suki. You were the first person that has been able to make me feel like I belong somewhere, and because of that, I care about you Suki. I care about you a lot."_

_Gaara's eyes were filled with such kindness and I couldn't help but smile. I saw what looked like love behind his eyes, which made my heart beat faster. The look he was giving me made me want him near me…I wanted him to hold me close again and kiss me. "Gaara," I murmured. "I…"_

_A shadow hand covered my mouth before I could finish what I was about to say. "You shouldn't say something you don't mean," the woman whispered. "His feelings are not what you want them to be. He's already told you before, he loves Matsuri; not you."_

"_No," Gaara said softly. "I lied to you Suki…I love you." My body stiffened a bit as my eyes widened. Gaara lied to me? Why would he have done that if he loved me? Even so, Gaara had just said those three little words that I never thought I would hear past his lips. He loved me…_

"_Forget what he's said Suki," the woman said angrily. "Sleep now."_

"_Suki," Gaara shouted as I started to feel my eyes close. "I'm coming for you; remember that!"_

"_Gaara," I murmured before darkness overwhelmed me._

I jerked awake, breathing heavily. "Suki," came a voice outside the door. "I've come to wake you up." Atsuko opened the door and walked in with my usual attire which she had taken the liberty of washing and mending. "Did you sleep well," she asked as I sat up.

"Not really," I mumbled while blocking the sun from my eyes as she opened a curtain. "It's like I was having a bad dream but I don't remember it."

"That happens to everyone sometimes," Atsuko said with a small smile. "Here, I'll leave you to change."

"Wish they could have given me a couple more days to recharge my chakra," I said with a yawn. "Where's Tanaka?"

"He was picked up by one of the other clan members earlier," Atsuko answered. "His father will be here shortly."

"What," I shouted while standing up quickly. "Tessi is coming here today?!"

"Yes," Atsuko answered a little confused. "Why?"

"Because," I yelled while yanking off the sleeping yukata she had loaned me. "I promised him I would take him back to his mother!" Atsuko looked at me confused and had a small blush on her face. "Do you have any sense of decency," she muttered while averting her eyes. "Or are all the people in your village this vulgar?"

"Jeez, we're both women aren't we," I said while grabbing my shirt. "We've got the same parts and everything. Hell, we're even related so I don't give a crap if you see me naked."

"I still find it vulgar to undress in front of someone without giving them the proper warning," Atsuko said sternly.

"Whatever," I said while rolling my eyes and finishing up. Atsuko gave a small sigh and turned her head to the door. "She's ready Hikaku," she said.

"Good," our uncle said before opening the door. "Has she eaten yet?"

"No," Atsuko said. "But I was preparing a…"

"Don't worry about it," Hikaku said as he tossed me a food pill. "They want you in the arena now." I looked at the pill he tossed me and then back at him with suspicion. It wouldn't surprise me if they did something to it…

"Come on," Hikaku muttered. "It's not like it's been poisoned! Just eat it and follow me." Swallowing the pill whole I followed Hikaku to the main house, which was located in the center of the compound.

The house itself was surrounded by four walls and had a large training area in the center. The training area was made up of sand and dirt mixed together and had a few trees and large rocks scattered about. There were even a few training dummies in one corner.

Above the training area, on the second floor was an open balcony. "Suki," came a little boy's voice from above me. "Up here!"

"Tanaka," I whispered with wide eyes. He was crying softly and ran to the railing of the balcony. A man behind him grabbed the collar to his robes and yanked him away with a snort. "I told you not to run off you little brat," he said. I let out a low growl at the sight of Tessi who was looking down at me with a smirk.

"You bastard," I shouted while taking a step forward. "Let go of him!" Hikaku, who had been behind me at the moment, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and the other around my waist. "Don't do anything foolish," he murmured into my ear. "I know you can feel the other clan ninja's watching you."

"Hikaku," came a new voice from the balcony. "Have you succeeded yet in claiming your woman?" A tall slender man in a formal Japanese kimono stood there with a stern look on his face. His brown eyes were hard bitten, and he slowly stroked the small black beard on his chin.

"Suki," Hikaku whispered as his grip on me tightened. "Please…this is your last chance to save yourself. Accept my offer of marriage and you'll be worshiped not only by the clan, but by your loving husband as well." I felt my stomach lurch as he slowly brushed his lips against my cheek and he sniffed my hair.

I shook my head slowly as he held me as tightly as he could. "Say that you've accepted me please," he said.

"No," I shouted. "I won't accept! I won't marry you!"

"It seems that she doesn't accept your proposal," the man on the balcony said with a small smirk. "Why is that, Suki Nara? Is it because you would rather be killed by the other members of your clan?"

"I'm already engaged to someone else," I said while giving him a look of defiance.

"Who might that be," the man asked.

"None of your business," I shouted.

"You shouldn't speak to him like that," Hikaku said while taking his arms away from me. "That's the clan leader; Sadao Nara." I snorted and smirked a little. "So what," I muttered. "Doesn't matter to me if he's the clan head or not; I never served this clan and I never intend to."

"I need to know if it will be beneficial to the clan or not," the clan leader said with a smirk. He obviously was enjoying the fact that I wasn't so easy to push around. "His name is Kei Kusanagi," I muttered angrily while looking away. "He's Tessi's younger brother." Tessi looked at me with shock after hearing that I was engaged to his brother, but then smirked a little. "He would choose a common harlot again wouldn't he," he muttered. "My brother has power both financially and with the people, but as a matter of strength he's lacking."

"I see," Sadao said while stroking his beard. "That is a fairly good match, but I don't think it's the perfect one…Kusanagi has the financial capacity but he doesn't have the lineage of a ninja clan. I would rather someone who was both powerful and strong."

"Is that all I am to you," I asked. "Some sort of tool that can be used to make stronger and more powerful offspring?"

"You are a strong and capable woman Suki Nara," Sadao said. "But first, we must test your capabilities before we can fully utilize them…you will be facing the elite members of the clan today, including Hikaku. They will attack you all at once and show you no mercy; therefore I don't expect to see any from you. You will be given the standard ninja equipment, but it would be more prudent to use the shadows that surround you."

"Here," Hikaku whispered while handing me a tool pouch. "Don't expect this to be a walk in the park Little Moon; each and every one of us is out to kill you. Even I won't show you any leniency." I let out a small grunt and smirked at him before he disappeared into the shadow of a nearby tree. "I'm not asking for any," I muttered while adjusting the tool pouch to my belt. "Nor am I going to give any…"

"Begin," Sadao shouted with a wave of his hand before sitting on a large cushion. A kunai whizzed through the air towards me and I was able to block it using a wall of shadows. Grabbing a shurican from my pouch, I threw it towards the area where the kunai came from. _Not exactly smart to use your chakra so early,_ said a voice inside me. _You know they're just testing the waters…_

_Don't exactly care,_ I thought. _I don't see a way out of this alive anyhow._

Hiding myself as best I could behind a tree, I sensed another ninja above me. A shadow hand wrapped itself around my leg and I threw a kunai up at the ninja. The weapon hit the target, but only on the hand. I could tell that he had moved away before it struck him in a more vital area.

The shadow hand let go and I rushed out from the cover of the trees only to have kunai and shurican be thrown at me from every direction. I created a wall of shadows surrounding me on all sides, waiting for all the weapons to bounce off. "Shit," I muttered after counting all the weapons on the ground. "At least forty men out there trying to kill me..."

_I told you before they wouldn't go easy on you…_

"Shut up," I hissed before blocking another onslaught of kunai. "You're not making things any better."

_You can still have my power Suki. All you have to do is accept it…_

I shook my head vigorously before defending myself against more shadows. I had to think of some sort of defensive plan. The trouble was that I couldn't stop long enough to even catch my breath. These ninja's really weren't making things easy for me, and since they were all elite members of the clan, I had to assume that they were all at the Jonin level. Not exactly a walk in the park for someone with a low chakra content.

For four grueling hours they pushed me to the brink of exhaustion. The clan seemed surprised that I had lasted this long, and were now attacking me without the use of shadows or weapons. I kept blocking the barrage of punches and kicks that just kept coming. One blow finally hit me in the stomach and I jerked back, my back hitting the trunk of a tree.

"Suki," came a cry from the balcony. Looking up, I saw Tanaka gripping the railing and leaning over it. _No,_ I thought. _I can't let him be taken away from his mother by that bastard…_

_You won't survive this,_ the voice in my head said. _Not unless you accept my power; I promise that Tanaka will be brought back to his mother. It's only the clan I want…_

"All right," I whispered. "As long as Tanaka will be brought back alive." A voice laughed inside me. _It's a deal then._

My eyes widened as my heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest. My ears began to ring and my head started to ache. I felt like I couldn't breath at all as every muscle in my body began to shake…something icy and thick spread through my veins. The other ninjas took this as a signal to attack, seeing as how I was unable to move at all; just as one was about to strike, a tendril of sand came shooting towards the ninja, stabbing him in the lower left hand side of his back.

Particles of sand swirled around me just as a figure in red appeared before me. "Don't you dare touch her," growled a familiar voice. The figure turned to me and slowly lifted me off the ground. "Gaara," I managed to murmur as he looked at me with a small smile.

"I told you I would come for you," he whispered. "Suki, I…" I didn't hear the rest of his sentence as darkness crept over my field of vision and I blacked out.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out guys. I just got a grueling full time job that takes up a lot of time and also had a lot of family things to deal with. Also I wanted to explain a little about Suki's Uncle…I know I grossed you guys out but I want you guys to know that he sort of brainwashed himself into thinking he loves Suki like a lover. Kind of like if you went to the mirror every morning and said that you're an awesome person, after a while you'll start to believe it. I know it sounds foolish but I've heard it works really well. Maybe I should look into the mirror and tell myself I'm an awesome writer and maybe I'll start to believe it. XD

Psh, that will never happen. An author is their own worst critic and trust me when I say that I happen to be my worst critic. I hate the way I write and yet so many people like it…I wonder if other writers feel that way?


	36. Chapter 36

Gaara's POV

I paced back and forth in the cave that Shikaku had found as shelter for the night. It was at a close distance to the Nara compound, yet far enough to be at a safe distance. "Will the two of you calm down," Shikaku said angrily. "You're both making me nervous!"

Looking up from the ground, I saw that Shikamaru had been throwing kunai at the wall in front of him while Kankuro sat on the ground in the back of the cave, fiddling with his puppets. Shikaku had been sitting in the center of the cave and trying to meditate as best he could. "Look old man, you said you would be the one to come up with the best plan and you know that if I'm not allowed to think while I'm nervous then I do something to keep myself occupied," Shikamaru shouted.

"Listen smart ass," Shikaku growled. "You don't know the Nara compound like I do, and between his pacing and you're throwing things, it's almost impossible to come up with a strategic plan!" Kankuro let out an aggravated sigh, obviously not happy about the fact that he couldn't have peace and quiet as he checked the condition of his puppets.

"You guys arguing again," Temari asked as she walked in with some more wood for the fire. "Seems like I can't leave you alone for one moment without one of you trying to rip each others throats out."

"Don't butt in," Shikamaru grumbled, sending a glare in her direction. "It took us almost a week to get here and now we have to wait until morning to get her back; not only that but it will take us a good five hours to reach the Nara compound!"

"Quit your complaining," Shikaku said. "This is the safest distance from them and we don't need any of them finding us tonight. I know you're worried but try to calm down a little!" Shikamaru let out a low sigh and started to yank the kunai's from the wall. "How is she," I whispered after walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Shikamaru tightly closed his eyes and banged his fist against the cave wall.

"I think she's asleep now," he whispered before turning his head to look at me. "Problem is that I know how afraid she is. She's been scared the whole time they've had her, but a few hours ago it skyrocketed. The fact that she has so little chakra left in her reserve worries me; not only that but I can feel something…dark around her."

The moment Shikamaru had said that Shikaku lifted his head up from its lowered position and gazed at his son with wide eyes. "How strong is it," he asked, a hint of fear in his voice. Shikamaru and I looked over at the older man questioningly, not exactly understanding why he was so afraid.

"Damn it boy," Shikaku shouted while quickly getting up and rushing over to his son. "How strong is it getting?!"

"I don't really know," Shikamaru said, his eyes widening in fear. His father looked as though he was about to strike him down, but after a while his hard bitten scowl softened and he sighed. "Sorry kiddo," he mumbled while scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. It's just that…never mind."

"Hold on a moment," Shikamaru shouted. "What the hell is it you're not telling me? I know you're hiding something now out with it!"

"Does it have to do with that ancestor that sealed herself away inside one of your ancestor's," I asked. Shikaku turned to me, his face as pale as a full moon. "You know," he murmured. I nodded as Shikamaru, with apparent confusion on his face, looked from his father to me, and back to his father.

"Now this sounds interesting," Kankuro said a wide grin on his face while looking up from his puppets. Temari smacked him on the back of his head with her large fan. "Idiot," she muttered. "Don't get yourself involved in another family's affair."

"Then how come Gaara gets to know all the cool stuff," he whined while rubbing the back of his head.

"Because Gaara is very close to Suki and may marry her one day which would make him a part of their family," Temari hissed. "Now stuff it!"

"Yeah well if he _does _marry Suki like you say, then I'd be her brother in law," Kankuro said, a little too loudly for my taste. "So I may as well…!"

Before Kankuro could finish his sentence I covered his mouth with sand and glared at him, my face as red as the trench coat I wore. The fact that both Temari and he had mentioned marriage to a woman that I wasn't even dating yet embarrassed me to no end. Not only that, but to say it like that in front of her father and brother made the situation a bit more awkward.

"Tell me," Shikaku said, ignoring what my brother and sister had said while taking a step towards me. "How do you know about that? Only the Hokage, myself, and the clan knows about that; not even my wife or children know about that." I could see the muscles in his face flex with anger and felt that if I didn't come up with a satisfactory answer, he would probably slam me up against the rock wall and beat the living shit out of me.

"You won't believe me," I whispered while looking him in the eye, his rage very apparent. The man may have been calm and collected on the outside but on the inside he was like an erupting volcano. "TIME OUT," Shikamaru shouted while glaring at his old man. "What the hell are you keeping hidden this time?! You didn't explain everything there was to explain now did you?!"

"I couldn't," Shikaku said, making sure to keep his gaze away from his son's. "It was something that you and your sister didn't need to know."

"What the hell aren't you telling me," Shikamaru shouted at his father. "Why is it that every time I turn around there's some new family secret that you couldn't tell us about? Don't you think it would have been easier telling us in the beginning?!"

"And have you think your sister was some sort of monster," Shikaku asked dangerously while glaring at his son. "Suki contains inside her very body not one, but two souls. One is hers; the other is a dangerous ancestor that wished to annihilate the whole clan. The ancestor in question was named Tsuki, as in moon. She was one of the last female members to ever use shadow jutsu's and for reasons that aren't quite clear to us she wanted to destroy the whole clan. Before she had a chance to do so though, she was attacked by many members of the clan. Moments before her death she sealed her soul into her shadow and connected it with one of our forefathers, thereby sealing her very self inside of him. She was then able to transfer herself to the kin of her choice and finally ended up in Suki."

Shikamaru gazed at his father with a sense of confusion and awe. "Why didn't you tell me this before," he asked. Shikaku, his rage having been subdued for the moment, couldn't bear to look his child in the eye. "Would you have seen her as your sister," he asked. "If you had known, would you have cared for her the same way you do now? If you knew that she holds within her a dangerous entity that she can't even control, you're telling me that you wouldn't have treated her the same way Naruto had been treated as a child?"

"She's my sister," Shikamaru murmured, although he showed a small glimmer of doubt. "I wouldn't have treated her any differently…"

"It doesn't matter if someone is your sister or not," Temari said while gazing at me for a moment. "Kankuro and I lived in deep fear that Gaara might turn on us and kill us like he did to everyone else he didn't like. We treated him the same way the other villagers treated him because that was how we were raised. We realize now that that wasn't the right way to treat him, but we still made him out to be the monster even though he was just a kid…even though he was our brother."

Temari looked close to tears as she looked down at her feet and Kankuro managed a nod, his mouth still covered with the sand I had placed there earlier to shut him up. Slowly I removed it, thinking that perhaps little things like my covering his mouth with sand scared him.

As if seeing my thoughts, Kankuro smirked at me and pulled his left arm above his head quickly. Without a moment to brace myself, my right leg had been pulled out from under me by a few chakra strings and I fell flat on my back. I glared at him as I sat up. "There's a difference between your attacks on others and sibling rivalry," Kankuro said, his smirk still there. I couldn't help but manage a small grin in his direction.

"I still would like to know how you knew about Suki's…condition," Shikaku said as I stood up.

"I very much doubt you would believe me," I said while looking the older ninja in the eye. "The fact of the matter is that she…your ancestor that is…visited me in a dream. She explained who she was and at first she said she needed me to help her, but when I said that I wouldn't she became very angry and said that she would do it herself."

"What did she need your help for," Shikamaru asked. His face was filled with anger, knowing that this entity meant to do his sister harm. "She said that Suki's powers grew with hatred," I answered. "She also said something about feeding off of that hate and that when I lied to Suki about loving someone else, Suki was crushed. Your ancestor then said something about needing me to reject Suki again so that Suki could become the ninja she was meant to be. She even gave me a glimpse of Suki's future if she continued down that path…it was quite horrific."

"That damn woman doesn't just want my daughter to become like that," Shikaku said while folding his arms. "She wants to either fuse their souls together or to take over Suki's body for good and lock her away forever. My guess is that she would want the latter of the two, but she would need Suki to accept first…the fact that the family wants it to happen as well doesn't help. If they think they can control her then they deserve to die."

"Dad," Shikamaru said while looking at his father. "What if Suki does decide to fuse with her?"

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve but I'm not one hundred percent sure they'll work," Shikaku said with a small sigh. "I just hope that Gaara can get to Suki in time."

"Why me," I asked. "Wouldn't it be better if either you or Shikamaru got to her first?"

"You're the one she's in love with," her father answered. "You're the only one that makes her feel truly accepted; tell her your feelings and Tsuki will weaken. And before you say some crap like 'Suki may not accept my feelings for her', just remember I'm giving you full permission to do anything and everything to make her understand your feelings."

"I wish there was some way I could tell her now," I mumbled while running a hand through my hair. I wasn't going to lie, I was very nervous about telling Suki my feelings. This whole rescue operation was making me nervous now that I thought about it.

"Maybe there is," Shikaku said with a smirk. "I'm certain this will work, but I don't know how much time I'll be able to give you…"

"You're not making any sense old man," Shikamaru grumbled.

"I've found a way to make you useful kid," Shikaku said while grinning at his son. "Lay down somewhere with your eyes closed and concentrate on a memory you share with Suki."

"The hell are you up to," Shikamaru asked while cocking an eyebrow at his father obviously annoyed. Shikaku sighed again and pointed to an area where he wanted Shikamaru to lay. "Listen closely the both of you," he said while motioning for me to come closer. "If Shikamaru is able to connect with Suki, I can use that connection to transport your consciousness to hers. She would have to be sleeping in order for it to work but it's an idea."

"How would you be able to transport my consciousness to Shikamaru though," I asked curiously.

"I'd have to connect you both with my shadows for it to work properly; basically I would be pulling your subconscious from your body and projecting it into Shikamaru's where you will find the connection with Suki," he answered. "It's not that hard to do as long as no one interrupts me in during the duration you're in there; but it's just that…well it's a little dangerous for you."

"I don't care," I said while looking her father in the eye. "Just as long as I can see her…"

"Wait one minute," Temari said angrily while walking over to stand next to me. "What sort of danger is there? This doesn't sound like an easy thing for any of you."

"It's not," Shikaku said. "In truth I'm not one hundred percent sure it will work. The fact of the matter is that if it does, Gaara will have no way of protecting himself. He'll be in someone else's mind, which is a very dangerous place to be. The fact that my daughter shares a body with a very powerful ancestor doesn't help matters at all."

"What could happen," Temari asked.

"For starters he could be attacked by Tsuki herself," Shikaku answered with a shrug. "Another thing that can happen is that he won't be able to tell the difference between reality and what's made up in her head, which can cause him to go crazy. Worst case scenario is that he becomes lost in her mind and never returns."

"You're kidding," Temari shouted. "No way, there's no way I'm letting Gaara do something like that!"

"Temari," I whispered without looking at her. "I'm going."

"No your not," Temari said angrily while stomping over to me and grabbing me by the shoulders. "I'm not letting you do this! You could get seriously hurt…or worse killed…I don't want to lose my baby brother again."

"Temari," I said in a low voice. "Imagine that you were in my place; imagine that someone you loved was in very serious danger but you had one way to get them a message. Wouldn't you take that chance even if it meant your death?"

"Gaara," she whispered sadly. "I can't let you do this…"

"I love her Temari," I said while taking her hands in mine. "This isn't something I want to do; this is something I _need_ to do." Temari shook her head with tears in her eyes and then threw her arms around my neck before pulling me into a tight hug.

"Oh for fucks sake Temari," Kankuro shouted while glaring at her. "Stop being the mother hen and let him do what he wants! It's not like he's a kid anymore…"

"I…just come back alive, okay," Temari whispered with a small smile. I nodded slowly as she let go of me and looked over at Shikaku. "I'll do it," I said.

"Wouldn't have taken no for an answer," the older ninja said with a smirk. "You lay there and Shikamaru here."

"You sure this will work," Shikamaru asked before sitting next to me.

"Only if you keep thinking of a memory that is precious to both you and your sister. Just concentrate on it the same way you start planning an attack," Shikaku said while sitting in front of Shikamaru and I. "As for you Gaara, just remember, Shikamaru will be able to lead you to Suki through their connection but once inside Suki's mind you will have nothing to protect you. It may take you a while to find her and when you do, just be sure to remember that nothing you see in there is real."

"I understand," I said. Shikaku nodded slowly and smiled. "Good," he said. "Now lie back and relax. This shouldn't take very long…" I nodded and did as Shikaku told me.

_The moment I closed my eyes I began to feel strange; as if someone or something was tugging at me and pulling me in a different direction. The tugging increased and then there was a sudden yank as I felt myself being pulled from my body._

_Whatever it was that was pulling me increased in speed as a white light appeared in front of me. It grew brighter as I sped up and all at once the pulling became a huge push. The light flashed and I found myself lying on the floor of a large white corridor._

"_Gonna stay there all day," came a sarcastic voice from my left. Looking at the source, I found Shikamaru leaning against a wall; his arms folded with one foot propped up against it. He smirked at me as I stood up and looked around the corridor. "Where am I," I asked._

"_My mind," Shikamaru said while pushing off the wall. "Not exactly happy about that considering I don't like people prying into my personal life but this is for Suki's sake. Now let's get a move on."_

_Following Shikamaru down the corridor, I looked at all the doors that lined the walls. Some were tall, some small, some skinny, and other's bulky. "What are these," I asked._

"_Memories," Shikamaru stated while stopping in front of what looked like a white hospital door. "This is about as far as I can take you. I'm allowed through this door but after that you will have to make it on your own. Just try to remember the way back alright?"_

"_I understand," I said._

"_One more very important thing," Shikamaru said while looking back at me. "Do not under any circumstances mess with any of her memories. You can watch them, just don't interfere with them. Got it?"_

"_Why," I asked._

"_It could seriously damage her psyche."_

"_I see," I whispered._

"_Ready?"_

"_As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," I answered. Shikamaru smirked and opened the door._

_A flash of white shown once Shikamaru and I crossed the threshold and into the memory; the two of us stood in a white room that seemed to go on forever while in the center were two children. One was sitting up in a hospital bed with a small end table with flowers next to her, and the other sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at a game of go._

"_What is this," I whispered._

"_This is the most precious memory I share with my sister," Shikamaru whispered back, looking at the two children with a tearful look in his eyes. "It's the day I promised her that I would never think of her as that girl from our family prophecy…"_

"_Shika," the young version of Suki asked. "Do you hate me?" The young Shikamaru moved his piece on the board before looking at his sister. "No," he answered in a bored tone. "Why would you think that?" Suki looked away with tears in her eyes. "Everyone else does," she managed to choke out._

Not this again,_ came an aggravated tone. I looked to my left at the present Shikamaru, questioning where the disembodied voice had come from. "That was an inner thought I had had when she said that," Shikamaru answered. "You'll get that a lot when you search for Suki on your own."_

"_Mom and Dad don't," the young Shikamaru answered his twin._

"_They have to love me," Suki answered. "I'm their daughter!"_

"_Choji doesn't." Suki nodded a little seeming to mull things over. "But you…" she whispered._

"_I don't hate you Suki," he whispered. "Sure you annoy me sometimes but you're supposed too. You're my sister and that's also why I love you." Suki smiled at his answer and nodded a little. "I love you too big bro," she said. "I just don't understand why everyone else wants to hurt me." The young Shikamaru sighed as the young Suki looked away from him. _

I hate it when she beats around the bush like this,_ came the voice again. _Why can't she just tell me what's on her mind?

"_Something's on your mind isn't it," the young Shikamaru asked. He looked at his sister with worry as she just shrugged a little and kept her gaze from meeting his. "I want you to promise me something Shika," she whispered._

This doesn't sound good…,_ came Shikamaru's inner thoughts._

"_Promise me that you'll never think that I'm just a part of that stupid prophecy and promise me that you'll always love me as your little sister?"_

"_Troublesome twin," Shikamaru said at the same time his younger self spoke. "I'll always love you 'cause you're my sister and I never did think of you as that girl in the prophecy."_

"_Really," the young Suki asked with happiness._

"_Really."_

"_So you promise?"_

"_I promise."_

_In a moment of pure elation, Suki threw her arms around her brother's neck, hugging him tight while the game board and pieces flew all over the place. "Hey," the young Shikamaru shouted while struggling against his sister's grip. "Cut it out!"_

_The present Shikamaru watched the memory with a bit of a half smile on his face. "She knew how much I hated to be hugged too," he muttered with a small snort. "And yet she was the only one who could hug me and get away with it. Hers where the only ones that were tolerable I guess."_

"_It looks like this memory is very important to the both of you," I whispered._

"_It really is," Shikamaru mumbled. "It may not seem like much but this is actually the moment I decided that she was just my sister. I had kept hearing about her being the girl from the prophecy and it really got on my nerves because I thought everyone believed she was better than I was. Suki always thought of us as equals and just wanted a normal brother/sister relationship. After that day she was always just my annoying sister that I loved very much."_

"_I see," I whispered as Shikamaru pointed to another door._

"_That's the way to Suki," he mumbled. "This is as far as I go…"_

"_Thank you Shikamaru," I said. He gave me a half hearted smirk and shrugged a little. "Look, just make sure you get back here in one piece," he said. "For Suki's sake." I couldn't help but smile and nod my head. "A word of advice though," Shikamaru said as I took a step towards the door. "The darker the memory is the darker color the door is. Knowing Suki, she's probably trapped in the darkest memory she has."_

"_Thank you," I said while taking hold of the knob to the door. "I promise I'll be back."_

"_I'll hold you to that," Shikamaru stated with a smirk just as I opened the door._

_Once I walked through the doorway, I was greeted with the image of a young girl kneeling on the ground clutching her stomach and crying. Her long black hair shielded her face as she rocked back and forth a little. "They all hate me," she whispered to herself. "Every single one of them…"_

"_Suki," I murmured._

"_I just want to die," she said before removing one hand from her stomach. "Why won't you let me die?" The young Suki's entire forearm was covered in fresh blood and as I looked closer, I could see a large gash across her lower abdomen. _Because you are special,_ came a voice from the darkness. _You will be the one to fulfill the prophecy.

"_But I don't want to," the little girl cried while clutching her stomach even tighter. "I just want to be left alone! I don't want to live anymore!"_

_I could feel my chest tighten as she said these words. I understood exactly how she felt…there were times when I hadn't wanted to live but the Shukaku always made sure I lived on. It was a horrid existence; and it hurt to know that someone I cared for deeply went through the same thing._

_Then again, it wasn't the exact same thing. In some ways, perhaps Suki had it worse than I did. While it was true that I had no one to confide in like she had, I still had an outlet; although killing people out of anger and hate wasn't the best way for me to do so._

_Suki on the other hand didn't tell anyone that her family was out to kill her, nor did she know why. I had at least known why everyone thought I was a monster but Suki didn't understand why when she was younger._

"_Just let me die," the young Suki screamed while taking out a kunai and pressing it up against her chest. My eyes widened with horror as the young girl slowly started to pull the kunai away. "No," I shouted. "Don't do it!"_

_My words went unnoticed as the kunai was quickly plunged towards her chest, only to have a dark shadow yank it from her hands at the last moment. _

Dear child,_ came a soft voice._ You were born to be the one from the prophecy, but that doesn't mean you can't change that. I can help you with that, but I need something from you first.

"_Like what," the young Suki whispered._

You just need to accept me into your heart little one, _the voice said. _That way, I can help you.

"_Do you promise," Suki whispered softly._

I promise little one,_ the voice said. _Now do you accept?

"_Don't listen to her Suki," I said just as I was about to rush towards her. I felt a small tug on my arm and looked over to see a girl a few years younger than me holding me back with one hand. "Don't speak," she whispered. "There is nothing you can do about this memory."_

"_Yes," the young Suki said just before her image disappeared._

_The young girl next to me sighed heavily and let me go. "You must not disturb the memories," she whispered before turning away._

"_Wait a moment," I said while turning to face the girl. She was a few inches shorter than me, wearing a blue kimono that was obviously a size too big for her since one sleeve was off the shoulder exposing part of her chest._

"_What is it," she asked in a bored tone while looking at back at me. Her eyes were as black as her hair which seemed to cover most of her face. _

"_Who are you," I asked. The girl shrugged before answering. "I don't exactly know," she said, her voice never once expressing any emotion._

"_How do you not know," I asked a little confused. "And where in the world did you come from?" She shrugged again. "I don't know," she said again. "I was relaxing until you came along and disturbed the bad memory…"_

"_I don't think I fully understand," I murmured._

"_I repress the bad memories so they don't fully surface and cause pain to Suki," the girl said. "That's all I know. Now if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here?"_

"_My name is Gaara and…"_

"_I know who you are," the girl interrupted, still using the same bored tone. "I just want to know why you're here."_

"_I'm trying to find Suki," I answered._

"_Which one; the one that loves you desperately and is so sexually repressed she would probably try to screw your brains out the next time she saw you or the one that wants to peel every layer of your skin off and fillet you alive?"_

"_Not exactly subtle," I murmured with a small sigh. The fact that this girl was saying all this with such a straight face and monotone voice made a small chill go up and down my spine. "The first of the two…"_

"_Hmm," the girl said. "She's not easy to get too but I can lead you to her if you like."_

"_Please," I said. "I would very much appreciate it…"_

"_I'm not doing it to help you," the girl murmured while walking away from me. "I'm doing it because I don't want you to disturb any of the memories."_

_Nodding, I followed the girl for a while down a dark corridor where she stopped at a door on the left hand side. "We have to go through here," she muttered. "You won't like the memory, but it's the easiest way to where Suki is."_

"_What sort of memory is it," I asked. The girl looked at me with a stoic face. "One that crushed her heart into fine bits of dust," she answered. If I didn't know any better I would have sworn a miniscule amount of a smile crossed her lips. "It's a memory you share with her as well…"_

_Before I could ask her what she was talking about, the girl opened the door and stepped inside; expecting me to follow suit. She was starting to annoy me just a little bit._

"_What memory are you talking about," I asked as I stepped through the doorway. The girl said nothing and only pointed towards a new image. This one was of Suki and I sitting down together and having dinner at the restaurant I had taken her too once we finished our last mission together._

"_So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about Gaara," the image of Suki asked as my own image stared back at her._

"_This was the moment I wanted to tell her I loved her," I whispered softly. "I just never gathered the courage to do it…"_

"_This memory causes her so much grief and anguish," the girl next to me said while folding her arms. "It's harder for her to repress since it's so recent."_

"_I wanted to speak to you about a certain subject that I believe you are more knowledgeable than I am," the image of me answered her._

"_I doubt I'll know as much as you think," the reflection of Suki said with a smile. "But I can give it a shot; what subject is it?"_

"_Love."_

_Suki's image seemed to blush as she looked away. _Is he trying to tell me something,_ a hopeful voice asked as Suki looked back at my image. _No, if Gaara was going to tell me he loved me he would have just come out and say it. He's not the type to beat around the bush.

"_What do you want to know Gaara," she murmured._

"_I want to know how you know you're in love with someone," my doppelganger said. "Not the kind of love you share with a friend but the kind you feel for someone special…such as how did you know you were in love with Neji?"_

"_I don't really know when I realized it. I knew I liked him a lot when I was younger but I never told him until I was fourteen. I guess those feelings just grew into love; until the jerk used a shadow clone to cheat on me…" Suki answered._

"_Yes but how did you feel around him when you did love him," the mirror image of me asked._

Like I remember, _scoffed the voice from earlier. _I also don't want to remember since I can't stand even the sight of Neji now…but I have to answer Gaara's question. Maybe if I explained the way I feel when I'm around him instead?

_I felt myself blush when I heard Suki's inner thoughts at that moment. So the entire time I had been talking to her about my feelings, she was trying to tell me how she felt? Had she really been describing the way she felt for me?_

"_Gaara," Suki said in a strong voice. "When I'm around the person I truly love, I feel happy. That person makes me feel alive and always makes me smile. I know that that person will always be there for me and I know in my heart that I can trust him with anything and everything. When he holds me, he makes me feel so safe and warm and I never want him to let go…when he looks at me I feel myself melt on the spot. When he touches me I feel warm and feverish; when we kiss, my heart pounds and even though my body becomes heavy, I feel like I'm soaring. There's really no question about it, I love that person with all my heart Gaara."_

It's you Gaara, _her inner voice said. _It's you that I love…

"_Does someone make you feel that way," she asked._

"_Sort of," my image said. "Except…it's a little different. When I hold her I feel complete…as though she had been missing from my life and I hadn't even noticed it until she came into my life. It feels like I want to hold her forever; and the few times I've kissed her I feel like I don't want to stop. When she gets hurt, I want to protect her from any and all danger. When she cries, I want to want to wipe away her tears and comfort her. When she's around I feel so content; she's able to calm me and make me feel at ease. Is that what it's like to be in love with someone?"_

"_That's exactly what love is Gaara," Suki said with what looked like a painful smile. "Is there someone out there that makes you feel that way?" My reflection nodded before looking away. "What's she like," Suki pressed._

"_She's…she's one of the few people that treated me like a person instead of a freak when I was younger," my image whispered. "She's strong, kind, caring, and considerate. She's also extremely smart…and very free spirited. I like that the most about her. She's always there for me when I need her and has always been a valuable friend. I've held her in high regards for a very long time and I know I can count on her for anything."_

"_Sounds like you really trust her too," Suki said._

"_Very much."_

"_Does she know how you feel?"_

"_No; I haven't told her yet."_

"_She's very lucky…who is she?"_

"_It was you Suki," I murmured before my image answered. "I was talking about you the whole time…"_

"_I'm in love with Matsuri," my image answered with a straight face. A scream echoed loudly throughout the room as the image of Suki looked at my doppelganger with shock. _No, _the voice said once the scream died down. _No…it's not true! It can't be…I love you Gaara…

"_Suki," I shouted at the image as my emotions got the better of me. "I lied; I love…" Before I could finish the girl threw her hand over my mouth and placed a finger against her lips. "You must not disturb the memory," she hissed angrily. "It could end up destroying her."_

"_They were right," Suki's image whispered. "The shadow shall fall for he who can not feel love…" I shook my head and watched as the memory faded away into the darkness. With a small sigh, the girl took her hand from my mouth. "This memory is one of the worst memories she has," she muttered. "She hates this one."_

"_I lied," I whispered as the girl started to walk to another door. "I lied when I said that I was in love with Matsuri…it was Suki I had been talking about the whole time."_

"_I'm not the one you should be telling," the girl answered before turning to face me. "The next memory you have to go through is the last one before you can find Suki. This one is…fairly disturbing to say the least and you must promise that no matter how out of hand it gets, you will do nothing to interfere. If you do, I will send you back to wherever you came from faster than you could blink."_

"_You can do that," I asked. The girl shrugged. "I'm a repressor," she said. "If I find you a threat, I can repress you back to the proper memory."_

"_I didn't come from a memory," I said angrily. "I came here through Shikamaru so that I could talk to Suki!" The girl looked at me with a small bit of interest and an even smaller bit of astonishment. "That so," she whispered. "I know Shika very well…and I can tell you that I have sent him straight back to his body before and I can do the same to you."_

"_I don't doubt you," I said while glaring at the girl. "But for now can we please press on to Suki?"_

"_You won't like what you see next," the girl whispered with a twisted smile. "It's far worse than you can ever imagine…beyond that you will find Suki, who I'm sure is being subjected to some form of torment. Tsuki isn't at all nice to have around…"_

"_If I didn't know any better I'd say you derived some sort of pleasure from the thought of Suki being tortured," I said. The girl's smile broadened, sending a chill down my spine. Not much in this world could scare me, but for some reason this girl was starting too. It probably had to do with the fact that she was so unreadable and unemotional added to the fact that she had such a cold expression._

"_It passes the time once in a while," the girl answered before letting her smile drop. "But there are barely any happy memories here for me to watch. The few that are around and most of them are faded. I would enjoy having more happy memories around but no one is interested in allowing her to have some…"_

"_I would," I said. The girl now smiled kindly towards me and nodded. "I believe you could; it is my deepest wish to see her happy with the one she loves. Now follow me, and don't you dare say a word. This memory is very recent and it's easier for it to change since it's not ingrained completely yet."_

"_I will try," I said before she opened the door and stepping inside. I followed the girl into what looked like a bath house, with Suki in the center relaxing in warm water. The girl smiled when she saw me avert my eyes with a blush._

"_Having some impure thoughts," she asked as I shook my head. "Don't worry; she has them about you all the time." My blush deepened as I looked away from the girl and back towards Suki. She seemed to stiffen a little and then relax just as a man snuck up behind her with a kunai drawn. He suddenly grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back while pressing the kunai at her throat._

"_You know," he said with a twisted smile on his face. "I really don't like it when someone interrupts my fun. Atsuko may not be the most satisfying fuck but she's the best one around here. Then again, someone who's been trained as a kunoichi must know how to please a man."_

_Rage filled my body as I watched the hand that was once in her hair lower towards her chest. The smell of fear filled the room and I felt this sudden need to rush over and protect Suki from what he was about to do._

"_I know you don't have much chakra left so why not just have a little fun," he whispered before nipping her neck. "You're going to die tomorrow anyway."_

"_No," Suki shouted while pushing away his hand. "Get away from me!"_

"_Just relax and enjoy it," the man said while grabbing her by the hair with his free hand again and yanking her head back. "If you satisfy me maybe I can talk to my father and he'll grant you a little leniency. Now stand up…"_

"_Lies," Suki shouted as he yanked her out of the bath by her hair and threw her onto the ground. She shivered on the cold wooden floor and covered herself with her arms. The man just licked his lips and slowly advanced towards her, like some sort of hungry wolf stalking its prey._

"_I said get away from me," Suki shouted while kicking him in the shins when he was close enough. The man fell as she scrambled onto all fours and tried to get to the door._

"_Come on Suki," I whispered. "You can do it…"_

"_Bitch," the man yelled while quickly getting up and then leaping on top of her. He rolled her over and pinned her to the ground with a sick smirk on his face. "You're going to regret that…"_

_The man then wrapped some ninja wire around her wrists and tied one end to one of the wooden bars of the only small window. He then preformed a few hand signs and shadow hands began to wrap themselves around her ankles and pull her legs apart, leaving her extremely exposed._

"_Damn it," I shouted as my fists clenched in rage. "Don't you dare do anything to Suki…"_

_Ignoring what I had said, the man then straddled her waist and began to feel her up a bit. Suki struggled against him but this only seemed to excite him further. "You said something about knowing the Kazekage earlier," he said before licking his index and middle finger. "He ever do this to you?"_

_Suki let out a scream as the man shoved both fingers inside her before moving them around roughly. "No," I shouted, not being able to contain my anger anymore. "Get your fucking hands off her!"_

_Just as I was about to rush in and do something to the man; shadows wrapped around my arms and legs, pulling me back. "I told you that you couldn't interfere," the girl hissed as she pulled me towards her. "Just watch…there's still a few moments left."_

"_I'm not about to stand by and watch the woman I love get raped by a member of her family," I shouted while struggling against the shadows._

"_She doesn't," the girl said. "Now just watch…"_

"_No," Suki shouted as tears came down the sides of her face. "Stop it!"_

"_Seems like you've done your fair share of men," the man said while licking his lips. "Do a lot of missions requiring sex? You must be a horny little whore…"_

"_Gaara," Suki screamed. "Gaara…Shika, help!" I felt my rage increase once she said my name. She needed me and there was nothing I could do since I wasn't there to help her. I hated this…hated not being able to do anything to save her…hated that I could only watch this unfold now since the damn girl wouldn't let me go._

"_You call out your brothers name when you're about to get fucked," the man said with a laugh while grabbing her breast with his left hand. "You're fucking sick; and I don't know who this Gaara is but he'll never be able to help you."_

"_Gaara," Suki mumbled while squeezing her eyes shut. "Please…"_

"_Ikkaku you fucking bastard," shouted an angry male voice. Shadows wrapped around Ikkaku's waist and yanked him off of Suki. "You keep your filthy hands off her do you understand?!"_

_A new man appeared, dressed in the same ninja attire his partner was in. My body froze as I realized he looked quite a bit like Suki's father. "What you upset 'cause I got to her first Hikaku," the man called Ikkaku asked as the other man pinned him against the wall. "If you wanted her so badly you could have just taken her."_

"_Release her legs," Hikaku growled. "NOW!"_

"_Fine," Ikkaku said as he released the jutsu. "She struggles though, so you're going to have to watch it."_

"_You're disgusting," Hikaku muttered. "She happens to be my brother's daughter."_

"_I've heard the stories Hikaku," he said. "You've gone on for years about how you wanted a piece of that bitch. She may be your niece but you still want to screw her."_

"_Not like this," Suki's uncle whispered. "I'd rather a woman like her submitted to me instead of raping her."_

_I felt my eyes widen as Suki's uncle said those words. Disgust filled my entire being and I felt like I was going to be physically sick. How could a man related to her by blood want to sleep with her? It just didn't make any sense!_

"_I'll only say this once Ikkaku," Hikaku said while slowly lowering Ikkaku and letting him go. "Keep away from Suki. I don't need you around to help guard her anymore so get out."_

"_Can't," Ikkaku said. "They assigned me here to guard her from you. Did you know he wants to screw you kiddo? Told his best friend he wanted that innocent body of yours but stopped himself because he wanted you to mature a bit more? He's probably hard as a rock right now from seeing you naked."_

"_You would be wrong to think that I can't control myself," Hikaku said. "Unlike you I don't need to screw everything that walks. So get out of here like I said before; that's an order from your superior."_

_The scene faded away slowly as the girl finally loosened the shadows around me. "The man never touched her," the girl said before I could open my mouth to say something. "He freed her after explaining to her that the clan leader had engaged them when she was a child."_

"_And that makes it alright for him to lust after his niece," I said angrily. The girl looked at me with emotionless eyes and an expressionless face before answering. "I wouldn't exactly know," she answered. "His excuse was that he slowly brainwashed himself into thinking he loved Suki as a lover. Whether or not that's true I don't know…"_

"_He had better never go near Suki again," I murmured angrily. The girl shrugged and looked away from me before pointing to a door. "That's where you'll find Suki," she said. "You won't have very much time to see her though."_

"_Thank you for taking me this far," I said before opening the door myself._

_I entered into an inky black darkness that stretched on as far as the eye could see. Finally the image of Suki came into view; she was on her hands and knees, her back too me. Ever so gently, I placed my hand on her shoulder, only to have her scream and whirl around with fright. Her eyes widened as she looked at me before she closed them and shook her head. I could see a small pool of tears collecting around her eye lids._

"_Suki," I whispered comfortingly as she sat up. "It's okay; it's only me."_

"_Stop doing this to me," she murmured. "Stop making me dream of him…"_

"_Suki," I said while extending my hand to her to help her up. "I have something important to tell you." She snorted and slapped my hand away before standing up on her own._

"_What is it this time," she asked angrily while turning away. "Are you going to tell me you're going to marry Matsuri or are you going to say that you love me, pull me in for an amazing kiss, and then disappear like you do every night?"_

"_Suki please," I said sternly while grabbing her arm and forcing her to turn to face me. "I don't know how much longer I have so I have to say it now…I'm coming for you."_

_Her eyes widened in surprise. "What," she whispered. Ever so slowly I cupped her cheeks with both hands and gently wiped away the last remnants of her tears. "I said I was coming for you. I'm coming to bring you back home," I murmured as she looked at me with half lidded eyes. "I promise."_

"_Home," she breathed as I took my right hand from her cheek and placed it on the small of her back._

"_Yes," I said staring down at her slightly parted lips that were just begging to be kissed. "Back home to Suna where you belong."_

_Not being able to hold back any longer, I crashed my lips against hers; kissing her roughly. Suki didn't seem to mind it, seeing as how her arms wrapped around my neck and she pressed her body against mine. I groaned slightly since the contact caused me to become more aroused while she moaned into the kiss._

_Pulling away before things could get anymore heated, I looked into her eyes and she smiled happily. "You didn't disappear," she whispered. I shook my head and felt a slight smile come to my face. "No," I said in a low tone. "I'm not planning on leaving you ever again."_

"_Gaara," she mumbled while placing her head on my chest. "I want to go home…home to Suna. I belong there with you. I want to be with you. Gaara I…"_

_Just before she could finish what she was saying, a shadow wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her away from me. Just as I was about to rush towards her, shadows grabbed hold of both my wrists and ankles pulling me back._

"_You have been a thorn in my side for five years now Sabuko no Gaara," said an angry voice. The visage of the woman in a blue kimono appeared as she slowly walked towards me, the shadows lifting me into the air and tightening their hold._

"_You should never have come," the woman clad in blue said. "You have no power here…you will die this time Gaara." Just as I felt shadows slowly start to close around my throat, a cry came from Suki._

"_Leave him alone," she shouted. "Don't hurt him!"_

"_Give me one good reason why I shouldn't," the woman said angrily while turning her head to look at Suki. There were tears in her eyes again as she concentrated on me. _

"_Is it because he's special to you," the woman asked. "Is it because you care so deeply for him? Those are reasons I would accept, but only if he felt the same towards you. Trouble is, I don't see any feeling in him at all…"_

"_You're wrong," Suki said. "Gaara cares for others, even if he doesn't show it sometimes."_

"_Then tell me what you see behind these eyes," the woman said with a small chuckle. "All I see is hate and destruction. This boy was raised like a feral animal; all he knows is anger, hate, and death. You think he's changed, but has he? Can he feel for you the same way you feel for him? What makes you think he won't become that animal again one day?"_

"_Gaara's not like that," Suki said, her voice faltering. "He's a good person…"_

"_You have doubts," the woman said. "You doubt because you've seen the monster he can be…look him in the eye and tell me that he'll never be like that again."_

_Suki closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the ground. I could feel the doubt that raced through her body and I had to say that I didn't blame her one bit. Even I didn't know if I could revert back to my old ways. There were times when I was so angry I could feel a monster running through me; one that made me want to spill blood._

"_Look him in the eye and tell me what you see," the woman shouted. A shadow hand entangled itself in Suki's hair and yanked her head up so that she would have to look at me, yet she still had her eyes closed. _

"_You won't see any emotion on him," the woman continued. "The boy is as unreadable as a book that's been bound on all sides."_

"_Suki," I whispered, knowing how afraid she was right now. "Please look at me." Slowly she opened her eyes and looked at me with a small amount of relief._

"_You know I was once like that Suki," I said feeling a bit of remorse for what I had done in the past. "You did see the worst of me, but I was alone back then. No one wanted to see me as anything but a monster, except you. You told me once that I didn't have to be alone anymore and I'm not. I'm not because I have you as my friend Suki. You were the first person that has been able to make me feel like I belong somewhere, and because of that, I care about you Suki. I care about you a lot."_

"_Gaara," Suki whispered. "I…"_

_Before she could finish a shadow hand covered her mouth. "You shouldn't say something you don't mean," the woman whispered. "His feelings are not what you want them to be. He's already told you before, he loves Matsuri; not you."_

"_No," I said softly. "I lied to you…I love you Suki."_

_Suki's body visibly stiffened as she looked at me with shock. "Forget what he's said Suki," the woman said angrily. "Sleep now."_

"_Suki," I shouted just as she was about to fall asleep. "I'm coming for you, remember that!"_

"_Gaara," Suki murmured just as her image faded away._

"_No," I shouted while struggling against the shadows that bound me. The woman turned to look at me with a smirk. "She won't remember a thing once she wakes up," she said as I glared at her. "Not a single moment you just shared with her…now as for what I should do to you…should I just kill you quickly or tear you apart piece by piece?"_

"_You leave Suki alone," I growled. "Leave her alone!" The woman laughed as her smirk grew. "Suki and I are one and the same," she said. "I am apart of her just as she is a part of me. Even if you had been able to get to her in time, she wouldn't be the same person. Suki is slowly breaking Gaara; she has realized that your love is nothing but a lie, just like everyone else's."_

"_It's not a lie," I shouted. "I love her more than anything!"_

"_Suki doesn't believe that," the woman said with a scoff. "She is close to the edge and is about to fall off all because of a certain someone who said he was in love with a different woman. You can't save her now Gaara, no matter how hard you tried. It's a pity you won't be there to watch me succeed…"_

_The shadows held tight and just as the woman waved her hand, a tendril came rushing towards me. _No,_ I thought while closing my eyes. _It can't end like this!

_I waited for what seemed like an eternity until I finally opened my eyes to see what was happening. The shadow tendril was a mere millimeter away from my heart and it looked as though it was shaking. "Damn," the woman murmured angrily. "Why now of all times…?"_

"_Because Suki wants him to live," came a familiar stoic voice. Turning my head slightly to the right I saw the girl that had led me this far. "What are you doing here," I said._

"_Suki's heart and soul wishes for you to leave unharmed," the girl said in a tone that suggested I should have known that fact._

"_You can't do that," shouted the woman just as a large amount of shadows shot towards the stoic figure. The girl didn't even bat an eyelash as the shadows stopped within a hairsbreadth from her. "Your power is not as great as mine," the girl said before turning back towards me. "It's time for you to be repressed back to wherever you came from…"_

_Just as I was about to ask what she meant, the girl closed her eyes and pushed both palms towards me, causing me to go flying backward. I saw a flash of white light and then…_

"Gaara," Temari was shouting. "Gaara!"

I shot up into a sitting position and turned to look at my sister who was behind me. She let out a sigh of relief and pulled me in for a tight hug. "I was so worried…you were thrashing around for quite some time and then your pulse stopped," she said. "I thought you had died!"

"I almost did," I whispered as she let me go.

"Glad to see you're okay kid," Shikaku whispered in a strained voice. "It's no easy task to walk around in someone else's mind. Don't know how Inoichi does it half the time…"

Looking over at the older man I could see that he had strained himself and hadn't been planning on using the technique for very long. "What a drag that was," I heard Shikamaru grumble. He grabbed the side of his head as he sat up and groaned. "You didn't tell me it would be so painful old man…"

"You think it was a walk in the park for me," Shikaku muttered angrily. "Frankly I'm not used to using the jutsu Inoichi developed. Why he taught it to me I'll never understand."

"So Gaara," Kankuro said with a perverse smile on his face. "What was it like being in your **girlfriend's** head?" I glared at him for using the term 'girlfriend' when Suki and I hadn't even started a relationship and quite frankly I did not think that much emphasis was needed.

"It wasn't pleasant if you must know," I said with a low growl, indicating to him that he had crossed a line. "I did not enjoy it."

"She was happy to see you though," Shikamaru said in a barely audible tone. I looked over at him and he gave me a genuine smile in place of the usual smirk.

"So what happened while you were there," Shikaku asked sitting cross-legged with his hands in his lap.

"I…I had to go through a few memories that weren't exactly…pleasant," I answered. Shikaku nodded slowly and motioned for me to continue. "Once I did get to her it took me a little bit to convince her that I was real and not some dream," I said, not wanting to mention the fact that I had kissed his daughter a few times. "After that I told her that I was going to bring her home and that all of us were going to rescue her when the two of us were interrupted."

"By Tsuki," Shikaku stated more than asked. I nodded. "She tore us apart from one another and began to put doubts in Suki's mind," I explained. "She began to twist around my words and tried to get Suki to not believe me. It didn't work as well as she planned and just as I was about to tell Suki that we were coming to get her she vanished."

"She's getting to be more powerful than I anticipated," Shikaku murmured while scratching at his beard. "What happened next?"

"After that Tsuki planned to torture me to death and just as she was about to kill me a girl that had originally led me to Suki showed up and pushed me back to my body," I answered. Shikaku looked at me with a small smirk on his face. "This girl," he said. "Did she call herself a 'repressor'?"

"Yes," I answered. "How did you know?"

"Repressor's are found in everyone," Shikaku answered. "They are what help us to repress our worst memories and keep us from going insane more or less. The shape and form a repressor comes in varies from person to person as well as their personality."

"I see," I whispered, although it did make a lot of sense.

"Now then," Shikaku said. "We're going to have to go over a battle plan and the structure of the Nara compound."

"What would you suggest," I asked.

"Why not just storm in there, lay waste to the compound, and take back your lover," Kankuro said with a scoff. "It's what I would do." I threw a glare his way as Temari grabbed her fan and hit him over the head with it.

"We have no idea how many ninja's are in there idiot," she shouted. "We also have no idea what the layout of that place is or how many innocent people live there. Geez; and Sumi used to say how smart…"

"Shut up," Kankuro muttered darkly. "Don't you dare talk about **her**…" Kankuro's body had visibly stiffened at the mere mention of Sumi's name and he began to glare at Temari with a large amount of hatred.

"I don't understand," I said while looking over at my older brother. "Why are you so upset over Sumi?"

Kankuro turned his glare on me and let out a low growl. "I don't ever want to hear about that traitor ever again," he said through clenched teeth. I looked at him confused; Sumi had left the village yes, but it wasn't because she had betrayed us. She had left because she was engaged at birth to some nobleman from another province. What Kankuro was saying didn't make a lick of sense.

"Let's handle one lover's quarrel at a time please," Shikaku said with a tone of exasperation. "Now I haven't been to the Nara compound in at least a quarter of a century and I don't know how much of it has…"

He stopped mid sentence throwing a glance towards the cave entrance. Shikamaru and I stood up as Temari readied her fan and Kankuro summoned Crow. Sand began to swirl around me as the shadows began to move around the cave walls.

"I'm not here for a fight," came a voice from the cave entrance.

"How did you find us," Shikaku asked, his voice filled with anger.

"Oh come now," the voice said. "This was you favorite hiding spot whenever you wanted to get out of the compound big brother…"

A man dressed in black ninja attire with a half face mask came into view. His brown eyes scanned each of us, determining which of us was the most threatening, until his eyes settled on Shikaku. "Hikaku," he growled.

"I'm so glad you remember me big brother," the man said with a bit of a smirk.

"You," Shikamaru said in a low, angry tone. "You bastard!" Without warning, Shikamaru lunged towards the man known as Hikaku, a kunai in his hands. Shikaku suddenly stood up and grabbed onto his son's vest, pulling him back before anything else could happen.

Hikaku stood there and let out a low chuckle. I could feel him smirking underneath his mask as he looked at his nephew, who was now laying face up on the hard ground. "And here I had thought you had become more sensible Shikamaru," he said while shaking his head slightly. "Yet you still seem to rush in without a thought whenever your twin is concerned."

"Where is my daughter Hikaku," Shikaku shouted.

"Safe," he said. "For now at least…"

"That doesn't answer my question!"

"That's all you need to know big brother," Hikaku said harshly.

"Why are you here," I asked, finally finding my voice.

Hikaku glanced over towards me, as if realizing for the first time that I was there. His smirk seemed to grow beneath his mask. "Isn't it obvious," Kankuro shouted at me. "He must have known we were coming and is out to kill us!"

"I have no idea who you are boy, but your presence is beginning to annoy me," Hikaku stated while glaring at Kankuro. "As for the pretty young lady with the fan…you can stand down now. I'm not here to hurt you, or your loved ones."

"That doesn't mean I will trust you," Temari said with a snarl.

"You have picked some strange friends to travel with Shikaku," Hikaku said, chuckling to his self. "I would have thought these were the kind of people you considered a 'drag'."

"At one point perhaps," Shikaku answered. "But they are friends of Suki's."

"Friends," Hikaku whispered while looking back at my siblings and I. "I can see that…but which one is more than that? I would assume that it wasn't the girl; that boy with the dolls and makeup perhaps? I hope not…not only is he not your daughters type Shikaku, he also looks like a pervert that's been fighting to keep himself in the closet since he was a child."

Temari bit her lip to keep from laughing as Kankuro's glare became more menacing by the minute. "You're the sick pervert here," Kankuro shouted while tightening his chakra strings on Crow.

"Says the one wearing his sister's purple eye shadow all over his face," Hikaku muttered.

"THAT DOES IT," Kankuro shouted while manipulating Crow to rush towards the offensive ninja. Temari held out her fan in Crow's path while sand pushed Kankuro against the cave wall. Shikamaru preformed a few hand signs, causing the shadows to hold a struggling Kankuro against the wall.

"What the hell," he shouted. "Why is everyone ganging up on me?! Why not gang up on the intruder?"

"Because we need information," Shikaku answered. "You're hotheadedness is not going to help matters; not only that but my brother could kill you so much as look at you. The man plans ahead, just like all the other Nara's."

"Are you saying that this whole place could be one giant trap," I asked.

"Not could," Hikaku said. "It is; but that's only if I feel that this won't go according to plan."

"And what is your plan?"

"Ah," Hikaku mused as he looked me up and down. "Yes…you're the one that's more than a friend. You must be the one called 'Gaara', correct?"

I remained silent and watched the man in front of me, waiting for him to make his point. "A man of few words I see," Hikaku said his smirk returning. "But that doesn't answer my question. Are you or are you not the one known as 'Gaara of the Sand'?"

"I am," I said. "Why do you need to know who I am?"

"Curiosity," he answered. "And the fact that I have a message concerning a woman that so desperately loves you."

I found myself looking at him in confusion while the rest of my body was wracked with worry. If something had happened to Suki I didn't know what I would do at this point. Having come all this way only to find out that she was dead would kill me to say the least.

"What is it," I asked when Hikaku gave no indication of continuing.

"Only that no matter what you intend to do, you won't be able to save her. She is at the point of no return, so to speak," he answered. "It would be wise of you to just forget this whole thing and let her go. It's not worth risking your life for some woman you don't even love."

Rage filled my entire being as sand suddenly shot towards Hikaku, pushing him towards the opposing cave wall and enveloping him so that only his head would show.

"Don't you ever," I growled while slowly taking a few steps towards him. "Ever say that again. Suki is worth the risk, more than you'll ever know. She's not just some woman I wanted to have a fling with; she's a wonderful and close friend that has always been there for me!"

"Sometimes it's wisest to let that friend go," Hikaku said, obviously not understanding the situation he was in. "There's always another friend to be had out there."

I clenched my fists, making the sand tighten around him. "Not like her," I whispered as he coughed in agony. "I can never let her go…not again. If I let her go now then I'll never be able to tell her how much I love her."

"I'm…glad," Hikaku murmured in a strained voice. "I knew how much Suki loved you, but I didn't know if you cared for her in the same way. Now that I know you do, it makes what I want to do easier."

"I don't believe I understand," I said as the sand loosened just a bit. Hikaku looked at me with a genuine smile and let out a small snort. "I mean that I'm about to live up to my older brothers reputation," he said. "They always said I did as you did Shikaku."

"Finally start to think with your own head instead of thinking what they tell you to think," Shikaku said with a smirk.

"I don't think I get it," Kankuro said with a blank stare. "Is he on our side now or…?"

"So it would seem," I muttered. "Yet I don't think I understand why."

"Because I don't want to see her die like this," Hikaku said angrily. "Suki has no reason to die just because they want to bring back a power that should have been forgotten a long time ago. They plan to kill her tomorrow."

"Do you really expect us to believe you're on our side just because of a sudden change of heart Hikaku," Shikaku asked. "After what you've done to her…you expect me to believe you're here to help?"

"No," Hikaku said while looking over at his brother. "But you don't have a choice do you? The last time you were in the compound you were yelling at the clan head how you were going to go marry the woman you loved and would have nothing more to do with the clan."

"I didn't yell at him," Shikaku muttered. "It was just a loud discussion…"

"You punched him in the face and gave him the finger before leaving," Hikaku said with a smirk. "You were declared an exile after that."

"Whatever," the older of the two muttered. "Too troublesome to dwell on anyway…"

"Regardless that was almost twenty five years ago," Hikaku said. "A lot has changed since you left big brother."

"What is it that you're expecting in return," I said.

"Now why would you ask something like that?"

"Because you don't strike me as the type of man that does something for no reason at all," I answered. At that, Hikaku burst into laughter. "Kid barely even knows me and he could pick up on that, eh? No wonder they made you Kazekage," he muttered. "Either way, you're right; I do expect something in return for my troubles."

"What do you expect from us," Shikamaru spat. "Why should we help you when all this could be a gigantic setup?!"

"Because you could call the girl collateral if all doesn't go according to plan," he said.

"What girl," Temari asked.

"Her name is Atsuko, and she's been engaged to the clan leader's son ever since she was born," Hikaku answered.

"So," Kankuro asked with a snort. "Why should we care if this chick is going to have it made?"

"She doesn't want that life," he answered. "Atsuko would only be a trophy wife passed around to any man the clan head allows. Women are nothing but objects in this clan…used by the men for whatever they want. Had Shikaku not left to marry the woman he loved, his daughter would share the same fate."

"In other words, we have to save her before we save Suki," I said.

"Not exactly," Hikaku said while struggling against the sand. "I'd like to explain, but being crushed against this wall is not exactly comfortable."

"Tell me your plan and if I feel that it's attainable, then I'll let you go."

"Fine," he muttered. "Atsuko already knows about the plan and is willing to help. My idea was this, you go to the far west side of the compound and she'll unlock the gates and let you in. There might be a couple of guards but trust me when I say they won't be hard to dispose of. Once that is over with, two of you will take Atsuko as far from the compound as possible while the rest find their way to the middle of the compound to where the test will be held."

"You don't mean they're actually putting her through that," Shikaku shouted.

"What is this test," I asked.

"It's reserved for those that would like to become elite ninja in the clan," Shikaku answered in a hushed tone. "They pit you against the twenty top ninjas the clan has to offer and you must fight them until you either kill one of them or are killed yourself. If you do manage to survive the whole thing, you would take the spot of whoever you killed…"

"Top that off with the two weeks they put her in solitary confinement," Hikaku added. "She's so low on chakra; I doubt she'd last an hour."

"Bastards," Shikaku growled.

"How can you do something like that to family," Temari asked in a low tone.

"Suki's been made out to be an animal," Hikaku said simply. "Since there hasn't been a female ninja in our clan for generations, everyone made assumptions about her. People would say she would kill for no reason and that if you crossed her she would torture you to death. Not unlike the picture your village painted of Gaara."

"Nothing could be further from the truth," I whispered.

"I know that," Hikaku said. "Now would you please let me down? This sand isn't exactly that comfortable you know."

As I pulled the sand away from his body, Hikaku fell to the floor with a small grunt. "So will you agree to my terms or not," he asked while sitting up. Shikamaru glanced at me and then looked at his father, who just so happened to be looking in my direction. "It's not my decision to make," I said. "While I would do anything to get to Suki sooner, the girl in question is your family."

"In the end I think it's really Atsuko's decision," Shikamaru muttered. "If she wants to leave then fine, if not then so be it; just so long as she doesn't get in the way."

"I don't really see another option," Shikaku said. "But just out of curiosity, who is Atsuko's father?"

"Our oldest brother, Ichinose's," Hikaku answered. Shikaku looked at his younger brother with shock and shook his head. "Sorry," he said. "If she's really Ichinose's daughter, then we can't help her."

"Are you afraid the man is going to beat the shit out of you again," Hikaku asked with a smirk.

"The fact that he is the one that took my place as first elite member of the clan after I left doesn't help," Shikaku spat back. "Dealing with Ichinose would be troublesome…to say the least."

"Shikaku, Ichinose's been dead for ten years," Hikaku said. "There's another ninja took his place."

"Who?"

"Me."

"You took the test," Shikaku murmured, a look of shock on his face.

"That doesn't really matter now does it," Hikaku stated. "Now that Ichinose is out of the picture, would you help Atsuko?"

"Prove it first," Shikaku said. "Prove to me that you're the first elite member." Hikaku sighed heavily at his brother's statement, but couldn't deny that it wasn't unlike Shikaku to question everything. He slowly pulled down his mask to reveal his nose and mouth before pulling a medallion out. It was blood red with the kanji for one written across it.

"Still not enough proof," Hikaku asked while rolling up his left sleeve shirt. "Then this should be."

Once he finished rolling up his sleeve, a tattoo the same size and shape of the medallion was shown across his forearm. It too was blood red and had the kanji for one written across it. "You should still have the same brand they put on you big brother," Hikaku whispered with a smirk as Shikaku placed a hand on his left forearm before looking away.

"So Ichinose is dead," he muttered. "Not that I could stand the bastard but still…never saw this coming."

"I need to know if we're in agreement," Hikaku said, obviously becoming a bit annoyed. "The clone I left back there won't fool them for long."

"You have a deal," Shikaku said.

"I'm glad we were able to reach an accord," his younger sibling said while reaching into his tool pouch. "This is the map of the compound. Do with it what you will."

With that said, the man left just as suddenly as he had come. "Should we trust him," I asked while looking at Suki's father. Shikaku let out a low sigh and shook his head. "Not if he's an elite member of the clan," he said in a low tone. "But at the same time we don't have much choice since we don't have much time left."

"Dad," Shikamaru questioned while looking at his father. Shikaku gave his son a small nod and then sat down in the center of the cave, unfolding the map as he went. "While Shikamaru and Kankuro go out for some more firewood, we should discuss our plan of action," he said as Shikamaru went to the cave's mouth.

"Hey I never agreed to do that," Kankuro shouted. I shot a questioning glance to Shikaku and he gave me a look that I found highly unnerving. "Do as he says Kankuro," I ordered. Kankuro muttered something in a low tone before grabbing Crow and stomping towards the cave mouth after Shikamaru.

"Now then…let's take a look at this map," Shikaku said as I knelt in front of him. "Hikaku said that the best place to attack was the far west side of the compound…that would be this gate here. If that were so then they would only have a few guards posted there if everything he told us was true."

"Nothing out there old man," Shikamaru said as he walked back in.

"Geez had I known firewood was code for 'look for bugs' I wouldn't have complained so much," Kankuro said as he followed in after Shikamaru.

"Good, now then we can get down to the real business," Shikaku said while turning over the map. "Hand me that canteen of water will you?"

"What are you doing," I asked once he started to dampen the paper.

"How would it look if Hikaku had been caught going out this late with a map of his own compound in his tool pouch," Shikaku asked while getting up and walking over to the fire, holding the back of the map as close to the heat as he could without it catching burning.

"Not very good," I answered.

"Exactly," Shikaku said. "If there's anything Hikaku is good at doing its concealing things within other things. I'm guessing that he used a special ink that reacts to water and heat on the back of this paper…"

"So the real map…"

"Is right here," Shikaku said with a smirk as he showed me the back of the paper; only this time it had a detailed map on it. "He also told us to use the far west side of the compound to get in," he continued. "Which is not how we're going in."

"Why not," I asked.

"See for yourself," Shikaku said while handing me the map.

"Hey," Kankuro said while peering over my shoulder. There is no west gate…that side is covered by the mountains."

"Which would we use then," Temari asked while peering over my other shoulder.

"Hikaku said far west gate," Shikaku answered. "The key word being far; back when we were kids, Hikaku had to come up with a code for directions while he was in school. I helped him out and from then on we used it. Far meant down and when you look at the lower part of a map, you're looking in the southerly direction."

"So we're going to use the southern gate," I said.

"Precisely," Shikaku said.

"He also said there won't be many guards," I said. "Does that mean there will be a lot?"

"No that part was true, especially if Suki's going through the test," he answered. "Most of them will be watching the fight in the arena; but we don't know how many there will be. I'm suggesting a two party team; one of Shika and my self the other of you three. Shikamaru and I will enter the compound and get rid of the guards while you tree hide out and wait in case we run into any problems. Once they're dealt with, Kankuro and Temari will take Atsuko to safety while the rest of us go on in to find Suki."

"Sounds like a good plan," I said.

"Oh come on," Kankuro whined. "Why do we have to babysit while you guys get all the fun?"

"First off, the three of you don't even come close to looking like a member of the Nara clan," Shikaku answered. "That's why only Shikamaru and I will go in first. We can only risk one of you three going in with us, and seeing how Gaara is dating my daughter I don't see a problem with him being the one to go in…."

"Dating your daughter," I murmured with a blush.

"Lastly," Shikaku continued as though I hadn't said anything. "Depending on how Atsuko handles the situation she will need two people to take care of her. The three of us will meet you back here once we're finished is that clear?"

"Yes sir," Kankuro and Temari said at the same time.

"Good," Shikaku said while looking at Shikamaru and me. "Now you two memorize that map and get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."


	37. Chapter 37

The Next Morning…outside the Nara Compound

"I can't believe we have to sit here and wait for some stupid signal," Kankuro grumbled as the three of us hid behind a few large rocks facing the south gate. "Why can't we just go in and beat the crap out of those guards?"

"Shut up," Temari hissed. "Just be glad we brought you with us in the first place!"

"What 'we'," I muttered darkly. The two of them were the ones that intruded on this mission, not the other way around. In fact I would have been happier leaving the two of them back in Suna seeing as how none of this was any of their affair. Why hadn't I just said no to them in the first place? Probably because I was caught up in the moment at the time…

"There's the signal," Temari murmured.

"Let's go," I said while standing.

The three of us rushed towards the gate to see Shikaku and Shikamaru standing over at least ten dead bodies, slightly out of breath. "Looks like Hikaku was wrong about the number of guards," Shikaku muttered. "At least this is a quite area though."

"Don't start complaining now old man," Shikamaru said while attempting to wipe some blood spatter off his jonin vest. "What a drag…"

"Where's the girl we're supposed to be taking," Temari asked. Shikamaru pointed behind the two of them towards a raven haired young woman frozen in fear. She was shaking; her eyes wide with horror at the sight of her kin being ruthlessly slaughtered. Her breathing was labored as she reached up to touch the blood staining her left cheek.

The woman opened her mouth to let out a scream, only to have Kankuro rush forward to push her against the wall of a building and cover her mouth with his hand. "Don't," he whispered in her ear soothingly. "None of us will hurt you…"

The young woman nodded slowly, her eyes still wide with fear. "I'm sorry you had to watch that Atsuko," Shikaku murmured while scratching the back of his head. "But you know as well as I do they wouldn't have let us walk out of here alive." The girl nodded again.

"Promise not to scream or shout when I take my hand away," Kankuro asked. Another nod. Kankuro did as he said he would and the girl swallowed the lump in her throat. "I...they…" she began in barely a whisper. "I betrayed them…"

"Atsuko listen to me," Shikaku said while calmly placing his hands on the girl's shoulders. "You didn't betray them."

"I did," she shouted. "I told them to open the gates for a messenger knowing full well you were there and…" Kankuro's hand flew over her mouth again and this time she screamed into it and shook her head violently.

"Atsuko," Shikaku said sternly as tears came to her eyes. "Remember why you are doing this; sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good!"

Atsuko shook her head as the tears came streaming down her cheeks. "What a drag," Shikamaru muttered as Kankuro took his hand away again. The girl fell to her hands and knees, sobbing.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered. "They should not have died because of my selfish intentions…I'm nothing more than a coward."

"Wanting to be free of them isn't selfish," I said while kneeling on one knee in front of her. "You are not a coward for wanting to run away from them; in fact it's very brave of you. The men here paid the ultimate price yes, but in the process two innocents will be spared."

Atsuko looked up into my eyes and nodded slightly. Smiling slightly, I wiped away her tears and helped her stand. She threw her arms around my neck and held me close. "Please," she whispered since I was too startled to react. "Please save the woman you love…"

"I will save her," I promised.

"And the little boy…"

"Little boy," Shikamaru asked while looking over at his father.

"Sounds like Kusanagi's nephew is still here too," Shikaku said.

"Tanaka," Atsuko answered while letting me go. "He was taken from his mother by our ninjas and is going back to his father today. He was taken to the same place Suki was…"

"We weren't planning on leaving without him," Shikaku said reassuringly. "You have to get going Atsuko; if anyone sees you with us, regardless of whether or not you helped they will brand you a traitor and torture you to death. Those two will see you get out alright and the rest of us will meet up with you later."

Atsuko nodded and smiled kindly at me. "Suki was right when she said that you were a kind and considerate man Kei," she said. "She deserves your love."

I froze in place as Kankuro snickered a little. "See what happens when you don't tell the woman you love you're in love with her," he said. "You're mistaken for another guy that claims to love her."

"Shut up," I whispered as Atsuko looked at me questioningly.

"You're not the man she's engaged to," she asked.

"No," I said slightly angered. "I'm not."

"Then who…?"

"My name is Gaara," I answered. "I've been a close friend of Suki's for almost five years now."

"You know, the guy that's been in love with Suki since they met," Kankuro said with a smirk.

"Please pay no attention to my idiot brother," I muttered as Atsuko looked at me wide eyed.

"That's the name she said last night in her sleep," she whispered with a small blush. "Suki practically screamed it while I was walking by her room…"

I felt my face grow warm as I looked away from the girl. She was obviously questioning my true relationship with Suki, but I didn't want to get into that because now was not the time for such a discussion. I also didn't know what our relationship would be once this was all over…she could very well tell me she wasn't ready for us to be lovers; hell, she could even say she didn't want to be lovers.

"We've wasted enough time," Shikaku said before pointing to Temari and Kankuro. "Atsuko, you're going with those two. Gaara, Shikamaru, follow me."

"Wait," Atsuko said as the three of us had turned to go. "Please be careful…"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about us Atsuko," Shikaku said while looking back at his niece with a smirk. "We're not going to go down without a fight."

"I'm so glad you said that," came a voice. "Because we're not going to let you get out alive…"

"Shit," Shikamaru said as he and I went back to back. "Now what?"

"It's Ikkaku," Atsuko murmured as her whole body began to shake.

Something inside me said that I should remember that name, until I saw his figure step out of the shadows. "You," I growled when I realized it was the man that had tried to rape Suki.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Ikkaku said while shaking his index finger at Atsuko. "Where do you think you're off to pretty little Atsuko? Don't you know that my brother will miss his future bride?"

Atsuko said nothing as Kankuro pushed her behind him while grabbing hold of the bundle on his back. "You know the penalty for betraying the clan is death, no matter what your station," Ikkaku said. He then shifted his gaze to Kankuro "I hope that she's already paid you with her body ninja, because neither of you will live after this."

"Sorry," Kankuro said while connecting his chakra strings to Crow. "I'm not exactly interested in this little tart…I would say you could have her back but just your face royally pisses me off."

"Looks like this is going to be interesting," Ikkaku said as fifty or more clan members came from behind the shadows.

"Enough talk," Kankuro said just as he activated Crow. "Let's do this!"

"No," I shouted angrily as sand blocked my sibling's puppet.

"What the hell dude," Kankuro shouted.

"Just take the girl and get out of here," I yelled. "You as well Temari!" She gave me a small glare and held her fan at the ready. "But you need our help!"

"That was not a suggestion you two," I barked as I continued to glare at the man in front of me. "It was an order!"

"The men can handle this sweetheart," Shikamaru said while sending a smirk Temari's way. I could feel the anger radiate off of her from behind me, yet she did as I asked and grabbed Atsuko before making a break for it.

"But what about that guy," Kankuro asked angrily. "His smug look just pisses me off…"

"He's mine to kill," I growled as a cold smirk played upon my lips. Ikkaku looked at me with interest and returned my smirk. "No one touches him," he said to his subordinates. "I will show him what it means to take on one of the Nara clan's elite."

"If you really were an elite," Shikamaru said while giving off a half smile. "You would be in the arena testing my sister." Ikkaku glared at Shikamaru but ignored his comment. "Shiro," he said. "Take your men and go after Atsuko. Bring her back alive so that my father can deal with her traitorous ways."

"Yes sir," said a husky voice as about half of the men disappeared.

"As for you three," Ikkaku murmured. "You will feel the wrath of the Nara Clan!"

Without a moment's hesitation, I leapt forward with my sand at the ready. Ikkaku's smirk never left his face as he preformed a few hand signs and I was suddenly thrown into the wall to the left of me. "Are you really that arrogant," he murmured. "Charging forward blindly like that is not the way an experienced ninja would start off…"

"You're right," I muttered as the hands and arms that had grabbed onto me held me tightly to the wall. "I'm usually a bit more tactical than that; it seems my emotions took over for the moment."

"A grave mistake," Ikkaku said. "Now you die!"

Just before he could perform the correct hand signs for a shadow spike, my sand flew towards him and pinned him to the opposite wall. His jutsu broke and his face became contorted with rage mixed with fear. "The hell," he mouthed. "Without hand signs…?"

"I find them a bit of a nuisance," I said. "Although I do need them to perform certain jutsus; but just doing this is much easier don't you agree?"

Squeezing my left hand into a fist, the sand around his right hand tightened drastically and severed through the skin and bone. Ikkaku let out a loud scream of pain as blood spurted from the severed arteries and veins.

I licked my lips and found myself relishing in the scent of his blood. A monster was rearing its ugly head inside the very core of my being and I felt as though I was beginning to revert back to my old ways.

I wanted to rip him to pieces and allow my sand to soak in every drop of blood in his body just as it had when the Shukaku had been inside me. Although, this wasn't because I had felt the need to live; rather it was a need to protect the one I loved.

"Fuck you," Ikkaku shouted as I looked at him with a cold grin. "What kind of fucking monster are you?!"

"Monster," I questioned as the sand tightened its hold on him. "Yes…I suppose I am."

Ikkaku's face turned into one of fear as I licked a drop of his blood off my finger, the familiar metallic taste causing me to grimace. "Yet, I'm not as much of a monster as you," I growled while stepping closer to him. "You touched her inappropriately; shoving your fingers inside her after tying her hands with ninja wire…she was frozen in fear screaming for you to stop while you just kept hurting her!"

Ikkaku smiled and spat some blood from his mouth. "Bitch told you that huh," he asked. "Atsuko begs for it; she's an insatiable little…ugh!"

Having heard enough of his words, I punched Ikkaku in the gut angrily and felt my glare intensify. "I wasn't talking about Atsuko," I spat, although I had to say that the fact that he did this to more than one woman angered me even more than I had ever thought possible. I had thought that I had already reached my boiling point, but I was wrong.

Pure fury raced through ever vein in my body as I grabbed hold of his throat with one hand. All I could see was white hot rage burning in front of me. How could people call me a monster when all I had done was kill when I felt threatened? This so called man was more of a monster than I ever was.

"Suki," I whispered darkly into his ear as I tightened my grip around his throat. "She's the last person you will ever harm."

"_That_ bitch," Ikkaku wheezed out questioningly with a smirk on his face. "She's probably been done by thousands of men…what was one more to her? She screw you and tell you you'd been something special? I got a news flash for you pal, a chick like that takes what she wants and goes on to the next victim."

A low growl passed my lips as my hand tightened. Sand began to swirl around us in a thick cloud and I could feel it wanting to strip every bit of flesh from his bones. "As far as I know, there has only been one man that has been with her," I muttered. "Possibly two."

"You one of them," Ikkaku managed to hiss.

"I personally have not laid one finger on her," I said; which of course had been a blatant lie but the two of us had never warmed the others bed.

"Then why would you care if I touched the little whore," Ikkaku spat.

"Because she's my best friend," I said, before adding in a low whisper: "I also happen to be in love with her…"

Ikkaku managed something between a wheeze and a laugh. "You have no claim over her," he muttered. "You're no one of importance."

"Perhaps not to you," I murmured back. "But to the people of my village I am. My name is Gaara, and I'm the Kazekage of the Sand."

"So you're him," Ikkaku muttered, the smirk not leaving his face. "The leader won't like that…but it doesn't surprise me that the bitch is friends with a monster like you since she's one herself."

"You're right about one thing," I said as coolly as possible. "Perhaps I am a monster, but only when I'm protecting the woman I love!" Sand enveloped Ikkaku and brought him up into the air while swirling around him at a high speed. "But Suki is no more a monster than a new born pup," I shouted while slowly squeezing my right hand together.

I could hear the man's muffled screams as the sand whipped around him, slowly tearing off every layer of flesh he had. It wouldn't take very long for him to die, but it made sure that it would be excruciatingly painful.

Living in the desert, I had learned that sand being whipped around at high speeds caused erosion; cutting threw just about everything in its path. Since sand was the main component in glass, I could safely say that Ikkaku felt as though thousands of glass shards were stripping away at every inch of his skin.

When the screams finally subsided, I withdrew the sand slowly and bleach white bones fell to the ground. I felt a sort of contentment in knowing the man would never again hurt anyone and something akin to elation since he would never lay a hand on Suki again.

"Suki," came a small boy's shout followed by a scream. Inside I felt my heart stop as I searched for her chakra signature. It was extremely faint, but still there. "Go," Shikaku shouted while binding one of the offending Nara's with a jutsu. "Go and bring her back alive or I will personally rip your head off boy!"

Knowing the man was far from joking, I quickly ran full speed to where Suki's chakra signature was coming from. The problem was that it felt a little strange…as though it was morphing into a different signature altogether. That didn't seem possible, but it could mean that she was giving up and…

"No," I whispered before allowing the sand to envelop me and teleport me to where she was. It was something I should have done in the first place seeing as how it instinctively knew where she was.

She was in an open dome like arena, much like the Leaf Village had for the chunin exams. Elite ninja had surrounded her almost unconscious body and one was moving in for the attack. Anger returned to me and I sent a tendril of sand straight through his chest.

"Don't you dare touch her," I shouted as I landed in front of her. Sand slowly collected around her and lifted her into my arms. "Gaara," she murmured with what looked like tears in her eyes.

"I told you I would come for you," I whispered as a small smile came to her face. "Suki, I…no…NO!"

I fell to my knees with her motionless body in my arms. Her chakra signature had evaporated into nothingness and she was no longer breathing. "Don't do this," I whispered while brushing a hand against her cheek. "Please don't die…I love you Suki…"

There was no response and I felt my throat close. There was nothing I could do now…I was too late. Looking down at her body I slowly pressed my forehead against hers and kissed her softly. "Not like this," I whispered when I felt no response. "Please…don't…"

Tears landed on her cheeks when the world suddenly began crashing in on me. Despair flooded my entire being as I realized there was no way of getting her back. Regret started to seep in, now that I knew that she had never known just how much I had loved her, how much she meant to me, how much I needed her with me. Not being able to take it anymore, I threw my head back and screamed.

Never again would I be able to look upon her smiling face, or hear her voice call out to me. I would never hear her laugh again or watch the sky with her at night. I would never be able to hold her warm body close to me or feel her soft lips with my own; Suki was gone forever.

Once I had finished screaming, I looked back down at her and held her close; imagining that this was all a dream and that she would wake up at any moment and wrap her arms around me with that kind smile she always had.

A rustle of movement brought me back to the present and I could feel the opposing ninja's standing at the ready, unsure of what to do. "If you're going to come at me then come at me already," I shouted to them as sand began to swirl around me defensively.

This seemed to snap them out of their stupor as they all came rushing towards me, all except one that hung back with a distraught look on his face. The others had began their attack, only to be knocked away by the sand while I held Suki's still body close to mine.

"None of you will live to regret this," I shouted while extending my left hand. Sand began to rush towards the other ninja's as I felt the urge to kill. What they had done to Suki was inexcusable, and they would not live to see the light of the next day.

"STOP," came an order from above.

The ninja's skidded to a halt as I looked up towards a balcony that contained two men and a small child. My sand retreated back to my gourd as one of the men stood up and walked towards the railing of the balcony. He was tall, with long black hair and cold brown eyes that would render any other man motionless.

"Who are you," I asked angrily.

"That is a question I should be asking you sir," he said harshly. "My name is Sadao Nara, and I am the leader of this clan. Now would you be so kind and tell me who you are?"

"My name is Gaara," I answered, staring back at the man just as coldly as he was staring at me.

"That was not what I asked," Sadao said. "You are strong, of that much I am sure since it would take a considerable amount of strength to even get to this arena unscathed by the other guards; yet what I don't know is who you are and why you are here."

"I think that answer should be obvious," I shouted. "I came here to rescue Suki!"

"You had said your brother is not strong," Sadao said in a low tone while glancing over at the other man. The man shook his head and I had come to the realization that it was Tessi that had been standing up there watching this whole ordeal with the clan leader.

"That is not my brother," he answered while glaring at me. "Just a nuisance that my brother has had past dealings with; some call him Gaara of the Sand while the people of the Sand Village call him 'Kazekage'. No doubt my brother hired him to rescue his beloved fiancé."

"I came of my own free will," I barked as Sadao looked back at me with semi approval.

"So you're the infamous Gaara of the Sand," he murmured. "I had thought you would be much older but you are still a mere child. Your reputation precedes you."

My grip on Suki's body became tighter as the man looked me up and down in an almost sympathetic manner, a half smirk dancing across his lips.

"It makes me wonder," he said in a thoughtful voice. "Why would the leader of an entire village of ninja come to the rescue of an insignificant woman such as her? You are the Kazekage, of that I have no doubt since it would take your level of skill just to get this far; but since you are a man in a position of power, why not amass an army to get her back?

"Better still," Sadao continued as he started to pace back and forth upon the balcony. "Why even come to her aid at all? As I said before she is insignificant, and from a different ninja village to boot. One that was an enemy of yours for many years, am I correct? This is all very curious to say the least. The only answer to all these questions that I can find is not one that would benefit my clan."

"You say she is insignificant," I murmured darkly. "Yet you were the ones who took her from her loved ones and family. Why would someone who was so unimportant, be important to you?"

"The body itself was important," Sadao answered while glancing at me with his cold eyes. "What can be done with the body will benefit this clan in many ways, no longer will the Nara be apart of the dim. We will show everyone our superiority!"

"So you killed her for your own personal profit?!"

"A regrettable loss, but one with a wonderful cause," Sadao said. "The woman had her chance to survive. If she had found a suitable mate, she would have more powerful offspring which also would have benefited the clan; but she decided against it."

"In other words she denied the man you chose for her," I said.

"She chose men that would not have benefited the clan," Sadao simply said. "I don't see why this loss should affect you so. It is in my opinion that you came here to take away our ultimate weapon. You must know that we are trying to draw out the ancestral soul that resides within that body. You must want that power for yourself."

"That's not why I'm here," I said angrily while holding Suki's body close to me. The clan leader looked at me with a small amount of amusement. "Oh no," he asked. "Tell me then, why would a man of your station be here, clinging to that body if he didn't want the power within it?"

"Because I'm in love with her," I shouted while glaring at Sadao. "I've been in love with Suki since I first met her!"

Sadao's amused look turned into one of shock after hearing my confession. "I see," he said while regaining his formal manner. "Well, that would have been a fairly appropriate match but what's done can not be undone. We have our ultimate weapon, and you will surrender it to us."

"I would rather die," I growled as shadows started to swirl around Suki's body.

"Then you will be its first victim," Sadao said with a smile. The body in my hands stirred and I felt a sort of relief thinking Suki was still alive. "Suki," I whispered while looking down at her.

My eyes widened as I felt a chill go up my spine. Suki's skin was a lot paler than it used to be and it felt as though I was holding a block of ice. When her eyes opened, they were no longer the kind honey brown I was used to, but a cold unyielding black.

Without warning, something shoved my chest, causing me to drop Suki's body and pushing me a good twenty feet away from her. She sat up and rubbed the back of her neck before turning her head to face me. "Still an ever present thorn in my side," Suki said; her voice much colder and harsher than it was before. "You cause trouble for me wherever you go Sabuko No Gaara."

"You," I growled, remembering the voice from last night. Suki smirked and let out a snort. "Yes," she said. "Me…although I'm not quite me just yet."

Sand swirled around me defensively, knowing there was danger but unwilling to act upon it since the danger happened to be inhabiting the body of the one I loved. Suki's smirk grew as she stood with a stretch; the shadows moving all around her.

"My Lady Tsuki," Sadao said as she turned to gaze up at him. "We welcome you back to the Nara compound with open arms. Whatever you ask we shall give to you."

The other ninja got down on there knees and bowed to Suki as though she was some sort of queen. "And if I were to ask for all your heads on a silver platter you would give it to me," Suki asked while folding her arms. Slowly I stood, sensing there was an impending blood bath.

"How would we serve you if all of us were dead," Sadao questioned. Suki let out a shrill laugh that was not her own. "That was not the answer I was expecting," she said while brushing some hair behind her ear. "Tell me, what is it that you want in return for your undying loyalty and servitude?"

"Only a small amount of your strength my lady," Sadao answered. "To bring the clan back to its former days of glory."

"In other words," Suki said. "You put me in the lap of luxury so I can go to war for you at any point in time?"

"You don't seem to understand," Sadao said. "You could have any home of your choice, any treasure you wanted, and man of your choosing…"

"There is only one man that I want," Suki murmured in a hurt tone. "And I'm growing tired of your arrogance and stupidity in thinking you can control me…"

Shadows began to move every which way towards the ninjas and to the ones on the balcony. "Tanaka, shut your eyes," I shouted just as a shadow was sent through his father's chest. Blood dripped onto the boy's body as he stood there frozen in fear.

Without hesitating, I used my sand to take hold of his frightened body and bring him towards me. As the sand came closer, I could hear him sobbing in fear and knew that this would scar the poor child for the rest of his life.

Once he was unwrapped from the sand, Tanaka ran towards Suki, trying to find some manner of solace by wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head in her stomach. "Stupid brat," Suki muttered. "Had I not promised to get you out of here safely I would ripped your head off…now get off of me!"

Suki grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shoved him so hard Tanaka fell right to the ground. "All that sniveling and whining just gets on my nerves," she said while glaring down at a shocked Tanaka. She raised a hand to slap him across the face only to have it be held back by my sand.

"Tsuki," I shouted. "Don't you dare lay a hand on that boy!"

"The knight in shining armor," she snorted while turning her gaze towards me. "Sorry but you're a little late to save the woman you claim to love, don't you think?"

"What have you done to her," I growled as Tanaka scrambled towards me; knowing I was the safer choice at the moment.

"She was a hindrance, so once I took over her body I destroyed her soul," Tsuki answered. "To put it in layman's terms, she's dead."

"I don't believe you," I murmured.

"It makes no difference to me whether you believe me or not," she said. "Regardless, Suki no longer exists. She's gone for good and there is nothing you can do to bring her back."

"I don't believe you," I shouted once more.

"Tedious," the fake Suki muttered. "Suki denied your death as well; it's sort of entertaining to watch those who can't face reality hope that it was all a mistake and that the reality never happened."

"Every word out of your mouth is a lie," I spat. "Suki is still alive, although she is a prisoner in her own body."

"Tell me," Suki whispered while slowly taking a step forward. "If she really were still alive, do you think she would let me do this?" With just a wave of her hand, shadows shot out from all directions towards me.

Sand came to my aid quickly by forming a dome around me, only to be pierced by the shadows. I could feel one of them scratch my cheek and knew that if I moved even an inch, I would be impaled by one of the countless ones that had invaded the shell of sand.

"Had Suki really been alive," I heard Tsuki's voice from outside say. "She would have stopped my attack and saved you." Once the dim retreated, I allowed the sand to retreat back into my gourd. The look on Suki's face was one of clear shock and I could feel myself smirking slightly despite myself.

"You were saying?"

"A fluke," she hissed in a low tone. "Nothing more…" Suki raised her hands and just as she was about to attack, the presence of more ninja was felt. A smirk graced her lips and she chuckled darkly. "They will all die," she said smugly.

Before Suki could make another move, I enveloped Tanaka, herself, and I with sand before using it to teleport us to the meeting place the rest of us had agreed upon.


End file.
